A National League club faces accusations of intentionally flooding their pitch to force a match postponement. Kings Lynn Town was set to host South Shields FC in a key fixture pitting the league’s top half against the bottom earlier this month.
Relegation Battle Adds Tension
The Linnets, deeply embroiled in a fight against relegation, were due to face promotion-chasing South Shields from the North East. Just 24 hours before kickoff, officials called off the game, blaming heavy rainfall and poor drainage at The Walks Stadium that left the pitch waterlogged and unplayable. The match has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 17.
CCTV Reveals Sprinkler Use Amid Rain
Time-stamped CCTV footage shows the club’s sprinkler system actively spraying water onto the pitch while rain was already falling. The anonymous submission indicates the system may have run for up to 45 minutes, despite prior heavy rain in the days leading up to the inspection.
League Launches Probe
A National League spokesperson confirmed: “We are aware of the allegations and we are investigating, but we won’t be making any further comment.” The league has requested the full CCTV footage and a formal response from Kings Lynn Town.
Reports also suggest the pitch inspection occurred remotely via telephone, involving the match referee and a Kings Lynn groundsman.
Clubs Respond Cautiously
South Shields chairman Geoff Thompson stated: “We are aware the matter is being investigated by the National League. We’ve also seen the evidence of the sprinkler system being on for a very considerable time in advance of the referee pitch inspection, which was conducted remotely via telephone with the match referee and hosted by the KLTFC groundsman.”
In a statement on their website, South Shields added: “We are aware of reports that have surfaced over the course of the weekend regarding our postponed fixture versus King’s Lynn Town FC. The club has been approached by numerous external media outlets. However, the club will not be commenting further at this time.”
Kings Lynn Town has yet to issue a statement addressing the claims. At the time of postponement, the team was without key players Adam Marriott and Festus Arthur and sits 19th in the table, just two spots above the drop zone.
