EFL clash at risk of abandonment due to rare fungal disease

A LEAGUE TWO match may be forced to be postponed due to an unusual reason.

A late call is expected to be made regarding Saturday's clash between Notts County and Fleetwood Town at Meadow Lane.

2 The League Two match between Notts County and Fleetwood Town could be postponed Credit: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock

2 A late pitch inspection will determine if Meadow Lane has a rare fungal disease Credit: MI News/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

That is due to a late pitch inspection that will take place on Friday and determine if the grass carries a rare fungal disease.

Notts County revealed a substantial amount of dead grass had to be removed from the playing surface.

But a qualified official and a representative from the Sports Turf Research Institute will still have to carry out their own precautionary inspection tomorrow at 11am.

The fungal disease in question is a soil-based pathogen, which spreads rapidly and causes significant damage to perennial ryegrass.

The issue has recently taken hold at several clubs due to this summer’s exceptionally warm and humid conditions.

However, there is confidence the matter will be resolved soon and the pitch will be suitable for the weekend's fixture.

Notts County released the following statement : "Since the diagnosis, our grounds team have worked tirelessly to contain the issue and implement a recovery strategy - and we would like to stress that this highly unfortunate development is no fault of any individual or the club.

"We expect the pitch to make a steady recovery over the coming weeks."

Notts County are 13th in the League Two table after two wins and two losses in their first six matches of the season.

Fleetwood, on the other hand, are ninth after three wins and one loss in as many games.

More information will soon be made available from both EFL clubs ahead of kick-off.