Fulham were denied promotion after issue similar to Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town’s abandonment

Add as preferred source on Google

Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town fans are waiting patiently for the English Football League’s conclusion on a replay, and a previous precedent set in the 1980s could give Rovers hope.

Blackburn’s Championship clash with Ipswich was abandoned in the 80th minute with the home side winning 1-0 due to a waterlogged pitch following heavy rainfall in at Ewood Park on Saturday. The EFL rules on abandonments state that any games that don’t make it to the 90 minute mark can either be ordered to count as a completed fixture or be replayed in full or in part.

The EFL made the decision not to replay Blackpool’s clash against Huddersfield Town after protesting Tangerine fans stormed the pitch during the game to demonstrate against former owner Owen Oyston, with the Seasiders already relegated and Huddersfield officially safe from the drop.

Now, Fulham fans have reminded football supporters patiently waiting to see what will happen with Blackburn and Ipswich’s abandoned clash about what happened to them when a pivotal game of theirs was prematurely ended.

• READ MORE: Championship experts praise Barry Bannan for ‘remarkable’ thing he’s doing at Sheffield Wednesday

Fulham versus Derby County finished before 90 minute mark, the Football League said no to a replay

In the 1982/83 season, Fulham missed out on being promoted to the top flight after their game against Derby County at the Baseball Ground was cut short by 78 seconds, not completing the required 90 minutes, which was also the case for Blackburn versus Ipswich.

The referee had blown up for an offside call, but Rams fans mistook it for the final whistle. With the home faithful 1-0 up and thinking they had swerved relegation, they ran on the pitch, making it seemingly impossible for the rest of the fixture to be played out.

Cottagers fans will never know if that extra 78 seconds would have helped them win promotion, but they were left even more frustrated by the fact rivals Leicester were held to a goalless draw, with them sitting just below the Foxes by one point and inferior goal difference.

The Football League decided not to replay the match, despite Fulham’s complaints. A further appeal was also declined.

What have the EFL said on Blackburn Rovers versus Ipswich Town’s abandonment and potential replay?

It was initially thought the EFL Board would make a decision on Monday. However, this never materialised.

The EFL board’s ten members are making the decision, and no deadline for the conclusion has been set publicly.

Ipswich and Blackburn have both communicated that they await the EFL’s decision, and both made their case to the EFL board on Monday.

• READ MORE: He was once a top Sheffield United prospect, now free agent could save League One club from relegation

Blackpool and Huddersfield waited 12 days to find out the conclusion of their abandonment. It remains to be seen how long it will take for this incident to be resolved.