O’Neill: Pitch was inexplicable

Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill has said questions have to be asked of the Stadium of Light’s draining system, after their encounter with Reading was postponed.

The Northern Irishman did not appear impressed that the pitch was unable to withstand this heavy rain, but did agree with the officials decision to postpone the match. The fixture will now be rescheduled by the Premier League for a later date.

Speaking to the Official Sunderland AFC website, the former Aston Villa boss said: ‘It’s inexplicable, really. For it [the rain] to lie, there must be a problem with the drains. We trained at the stadium on Thursday
afternoon to get a feel for the pitch and it was fantastic.’

‘There has been a lot of rain. We arrived here about the same time as Reading and the referee had serious doubts in his mind. He just wanted to confirm with myself and Brian McDermott. It`s the right decision to make but it`s a blow to us.’