Blackburn Rovers’ Head Groundsman, Trevor Wilkin, has spoken out about the controversial abandonment of their Championship fixture against Ipswich Town on September 20th, shedding light on what really happened that day.

The clash at Ewood Park was called off just ten minutes from full time by referee Stephen Martin due to extreme weather conditions, sparking debate among supporters online. While much of the UK battled strong winds and heavy rainfall that weekend, Blackburn’s match was the only Championship game that failed to reach its conclusion.

At the time of the abandonment, Rovers looked set to claim a much-needed second league win of the season. Ipswich had been reduced to ten men early in the second half after Jacob Greaves’ dismissal, and Todd Cantwell’s penalty just before the hour mark had given the hosts the advantage.

However, torrential rain made the pitch unplayable late in the game, forcing officials to halt proceedings. The decision frustrated both sets of players, staff, and fans, and it was later confirmed that the fixture would be replayed in full on December 2nd — a ruling that left those at Ewood Park bitterly disappointed.

In a video shared on RoversTV, Wilkin reflected on the events, admitting that the conditions simply became impossible to manage.

“We’ve just got to hold our hands up and say the weather beat us,” he said. “There’s been a lot of talk, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the river this time. The drains were working perfectly — it was just the sheer amount of rainfall.”

Wilkin explained that he and colleague Lynsey Talbot had inspected the pitch and surrounding drainage early that morning, finding everything in good order. But as the day wore on, the rain intensified.

“Anyone who was there could see how heavy it got. It just reached a point where the surface couldn’t take any more water,” he added.

The Rovers grounds chief also expressed concern about the ongoing challenge of maintaining Ewood Park’s ageing pitch, which has now been in use for 36 years. He acknowledged that while the surface’s infrastructure is outdated, the weather that day would have overwhelmed almost any ground.

“We had over 77 millimetres — that’s more than three inches — of rain in a short space of time,” Wilkin revealed. “Yes, the pitch is old, the drainage is old, and everyone knows that. But on that day, it just couldn’t cope. We were incredibly unlucky.”

Wilkin drew comparisons with previous weather-related issues, such as the postponement of Rovers’ game against Portsmouth last season, noting that excessive rainfall has become an increasing challenge. Despite the criticism, he praised his ground staff for their continued hard work under difficult circumstances.

As Blackburn prepare for the December replay, Wilkin and his team remain focused on keeping the pitch playable — a task made all the more demanding as the historic surface continues to age.