Hemel skipper Parkes left ‘fuming’ after Wealdstone abandonment

Hemel were 3-0 up and seemingly cruising to victory, but the match referee decided to abandon the match due to a frozen pitch.

Parkes, who had netted the third goal, said: “It was so frustrating to have the game called off at half-time.

“To be 3-0 up after 15 minutes and dominate the first half, it’s tough to see your hard work taken away from you. Another frustrating factor is that the yellow cards count but your goals don’t.”

Parkes also felt that the decision was an incorrect one on the referee’s part: “I don’t believe the pitch was getting any worse, as the referee stated, and I never felt it was dangerous,” said the Tudors skipper.

“Not one player slipped over in the first half and there weren’t any nasty tackles where players could have got hurt.”

And a disappointed Parkes believes that the decision could prove costly in Hemel’s push for promotion.

“The ref got the whole situation wrong; he was late for the game and should have taken action before the game,” he said.

“I think there should have been earlier pitch inspections and, if the ref had decided to call it off beforehand, everyone would have taken the decision better.

“The game started so it should have continued; it didn’t feel dangerous and we were left fuming.

“We knew we would go onto win the game and that could be a crucial three points for our playoff push.”