Fixture issues intensify for Rotherham United after QPR postponement

The club’s ground staff have been working tirelessly throughout the week, but with the freezing temperatures that have gripped South Yorkshire in recent days not set to improve significantly in the next 24 hours, the decision has been made to postpone the game – prior to Rangers making the journey north.

An EFL match official carried out a pitch inspection at 11am on Friday morning and deemed the pitch unplayable with the frozen surface posing a risk to player safety. The two clubs will now make contact to arrange a new date for the game.

It makes that the Millers have now had four home games postponed due to either the weather or Covid-19 issues already this term.

Their match against Derby County was called off on two occasions. It did not take place on its original date of December 19 following a positive test of Covid-19 in the Millers squad and was then called off on February 2 due to a waterlogged pitch before being succesfully rescheduled for 24 hours later and played.

Rotherham's scheduled home game with Cardiff on January 2 was postponed a few hours before kick-off due to a snow deluge at the AESSEAL New York Stadium . It was finally played on Tuesday evening.

The latest postponement adds to the Millers' fixture congestion. As it stands, they do not have a blank midweek until mid-April.

Paul Warne's side still have to play 19 league games this season with the season scheduled to end in just under three months. A international break between late March and the start of April takes out a further fortnight.

Speaking earlier this year, Warne spoke of his belief that the season should be extended by a month to account for the potential for postponements due to the Covid situation, with the situation now compounded by issues with the weather.

Warne said: “A bit of common sense has to come into it. I’d expect or anticipate the Euros may be put back and there might be an argument that the EFL season runs another month.

“I am not saying there needs to be a two-week break or anything as we will still come back into the Covid situation. But it (extending the season) would just allow a little bit of runway, as it is so tight."