Middlesbrough clash against Leeds in danger because of bad weather

Snow and ice could cause Friday’s match against Middlesbrough to be called off.

Leeds United are scheduled to travel to the Riverside Stadium to face off against fellow playoff hopefuls Boro, but with the “Beast from the East” currently causing transportation delays, the match is in danger of being reschedule, something that both Boro and Leeds will be keen to avoid. Per Boro’s official website:

The club are currently working hard to ensure Friday’s game against Leeds United goes ahead as planned.

The club cannot legislate for forthcoming weather and more snow and freezing temperatures are forecast

It appears that the pitch will be in fine condition, as updated photos of the Riverside Stadium reveal that the snow has been removed from the playing surface and the stands, however the local police could yet decide that the road conditions would be unsuitable for travel.

While it’s not ideal for the match to be delayed, the point remains that if the conditions are unsafe to travel to the ground, it would be smart to delay the fixture. Additionally, it sounds like the decision will be out of the hands of either club or even the Football League, as the local police will be the ones determining if the conditions are safe enough to travel.

It’s all in good fun to make fun of Boro and Boro fans and blame them for the possibility of the match being delayed, but the safety of fans should override any business decision. It’s not as if Leeds aren’t already on Sky TV all the time anyway, so if the match is delayed, Sky will likely pick up the option to show it live anyway.