Peter Ridsdale on Sunday led the line in saying a big thank you to those who played a part in getting the Blackpool match on, despite many other sporting events falling foul of adverse weather conditions this weekend.

"It's been a real concerted effort from a number of people, to which we are all very grateful," Peter said. "We were all monitoring the weather going into the weekend, knowing that the match would be in doubt. But with the hard work and help of stadium staff, the local council and our amazing supporters the game was passed to go ahead. For that I would like to thank all involved for their very much appreciated efforts."

Stadium General Manager David Spencer echoed the views of the Chairman, saying, "With Premier League games being called off it shows you the level of work that was required. It started by ensuring the pitch was playable, where even with undersoil heating needs a lot of attention to get it just right. Our ground staff deserve a lot of credit for their results.

"External approaches, the car park and walkways were also frozen solid in many areas. But with stadium staff and a number of supporter volunteers working in bitterly cold conditions, the stadium was made safe for all. It really shows the community aspect of the club and the character of our supporters who jumped at the chance to get the game on."

Dave Jones added, "It was a hard game against a tough opponent on Saturday. But all week we have been facing another tough test in the cold snap that eventually killed off many sporting events.

"I know that there has been a lot of hard work from stadium staff, volunteer supporters and the local council in ensuring the game went ahead. It was important for us to get the game played as it prevented a further backlog of matches which can affect fitness later in the season. With the Leicester game and the Bristol games already needing new dates, we were pleased to get the match on - even with a number of players under the weather themselves. The fans and many others deserve our thanks for that."