SWINDON Town’s League Two fixture against Stevenage on Tuesday night was postponed over 24 hours before kick-off due to a frozen pitch.

With temperatures in Swindon having hovered around zero for much of the past week and not expected to change much before Wednesday, an early decision was made to call off the match.

In a brief statement from Town at 6pm on Monday, the club said a pitch inspection had taken place earlier in the day and, despite the ground staff’s best efforts, the game would have to be rearranged.

While the pitch was clearly a key factor in the postponement, potentially-dangerous conditions in the stands and around the perimeter of the County Ground may well have played a part in the call too.

The game had already been pushed back over a fortnight due to Stevenage’s continued involvement in the FA Cup.

Steve Evans’ side shocked Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park earlier in January on the original date, and the Hertfordshire club’s clash with Crewe Alexandra on Saturday has also been pushed back to mid-March due to their clash away at Stoke City.

While no date has been set for a third attempt at playing the game yet, it is understood the rescheduled fixture is unlikely to take place before Stevenage play Crewe on Tuesday, March 14.

Boro will be disappointed with the decision as they could have moved to the top of League Two with a victory at the County Ground.

Swindon's clash with Stevenage is the second game in a row to be postponed for managerless Town.

Last Saturday's trip to Walsall also fell afoul of wintry conditions, and a new date has yet to be decided.

The recent postponements have given Town's board more unexpected time to concentrate on finding a new head coach.

Swindon have been without one since Scott Lindsey departed Wiltshire for Crawley Town on Wednesday, January 11.

Several names have been touted to take over, with the latest favourite being former Crewe Alexandra boss, David Artell.

At the weekend, technical director Sandro Di Michele told BBC Radio Wiltshire that the club are "getting to the end of the journey now" and will be arriving at a final decision "hopefully, by the middle to end of [this week]."

The new boss could therefore be in charge for Town's next League Two game, which is a home fixture against historic rivals, Gillingham on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Swindon Supermarine's Wiltshire Premier Shield quarter-final with Westbury United has also been postponed for a second time due to a frozen pitch at the Webbswood Stadium.