DAVID Flitcroft admitted match referee David Webb had probably been left in a no-win situation following the postponement of Swindon Town's League Two trip to Accrington Stanley this afternoon.

Official Webb called off the fixture at shortly before 1pm - just over two hours prior to the scheduled kick-off time at the Wham Stadium, having originally declared this morning that the fixture was on after a pitch inspection.

A further examination at lunchtime, following snowfall in Lancashire, prompted him to reverse that decision, with the pitch unplayable.

That call drew some criticism, with many travelling fans from the south having already made their way north - a trip of nearly 200 miles.

Flitcroft, who booked a hastily-arranged training session for his players in a nearby soccer dome before the long bus journey back down south this afternoon, admitted Webb had probably been caught between his desire to make a prompt decision and his intent get the game on.

"It was snowing all night and I think the decision got made based on some real icy patches and some areas where it was going from soft to hard,'' the Town boss told BBC Wiltshire this afternoon.

"I don’t think Accrington could put the covers on everywhere over the ground. I think that was probably the issue. The icy patches and the hard surfaces and the (forecast) temperatures towards 4-5pm were certainly deteriorating.

"He (Webb) was there at 10am. We were already up here obviously and stayed in a hotel last night.

"Could he had made an earlier call, with the fans travelling, would that have helped the supporters out? Possibly, but on the flip side of that, did he want to give it the best possible chance and hope that temperatures might thaw the ground? Possibly.

"So it’s always a difficult one and what the referee said to us was it was the duty of care to players and making sure that the pitch wasn’t dangerous to play on. That’s what he’s taken the call on.

"We’re bitterly disappointed because of the game prep we’ve put into it but it’s something that’s not really in our control.''

Town now face an ardous Tuesday night trip north sometime in the new year for the rearranged fixture. Although both sides are out of the FA Cup, Accrington are already scheduled to host Chesterfield in League Two on January 6 - third round day.

"It will be a Tuesday night and we’ll prepare for that,'' added Flitcroft.

"You do get this situation in League Two and League One. You haven’t got grounds that have got undersoil heating like in the Championship and the Prem (Premier League).

"We’ll fit it into the programme wherever it suits. You fit it in as soon as you can, so that there is not a backlog and if there is a real cold snap, you are not chasing your tail.

"We’ll fit the game in with all three parties agreeing, ourselves, Accrington and the FA and work from there.''