RICHIE Wellens challenged Football League officials to review their policy concerning the possibility of postponing fixtures because of strong winds.

Gusts as high as 53mph are forecast at 3pm this afternoon in Swindon as Storm Dennis arrives from the south-west.

The wind will be more than strong enough to severely impact this afternoon’s League Two game against Scunthorpe United, a fixture Town are expecting 9,000 fans to attend.

Given games are promptly called off because of waterlogged pitches, Wellens is of the opinion that winds strong enough to alter a long ball’s course should too force officials to scrutinise whether a fixture should take place or not.

He said: “If we had lots of rainfall, and the pitch was even half waterlogged, the referee would arrive and roll the ball over the surface.

“If there are puddles on the pitch, and the ball doesn’t run true, they’d call the game off.

“If you throw the ball in the air, and it lands a dozen or more yards away from where you’ve thrown it, the game won’t be called off – I find that amazing.

“If the ball is being deviated, regardless if it’s on the floor or in the air, then it can become a farce.

“Grimsby away last year springs to mind. Lawrence (Vigouroux) is a great striker of the ball, but he was kicking the ball out and it would blow back for a corner.

“That in itself becomes a farce. We’ve played games in the wind where both us and the team we’re playing have coped well, but we’re not sure how extreme it will be against Scunthorpe.”

Conditions will impact the way Wellens asks his players to attack Scunthorpe’s penalty area.

Fewer risks are likely to be taken in the final third and he will also encourages players to take less touches when in possession of the ball.

But after playing in several wind affected games in recent weeks, Storm Dennis’ presence shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

“We’ve had enough opportunities to practice with the wind,” said Wellens.

“This year, we’ve won plenty of games by killing teams in their own third. Teams have pressed us high up the pitch, but by time the ball is at the other end the opposition is spread on a big pitch – we’ve scored a lot of goals from that.

“In difficult conditions, you’ve got to take the risk element out of your own third, that changes how we play.

“You can’t take many touches, and it’s difficult to play.”