EFL Trophy clash delayed by 38 MINUTES with players forced to undergo second warm up… because of heavy RAIN

PETERBOROUGH’S EFL Trophy clash with Stevenage was halted for 38 minutes due to a huge downpour.

Players were forced off midway through the second half – with ground staff forced into “extensive” repair work.

RexDifficult conditions eventually led to players being forced off[/caption]

The teams were then allowed back out for a five-minute warm-up before the action could resume.

Peterborough were leading their League One rivals 2-0 at the time.

Most of the rain came before the break.

And players were first taken off after the interval at 8.24pm – when the rain was EASING.

Just a five-minute break was initially announced.

Club staff soon started putting their forks into the turf in a bid to help drain it.

And when the ran stopped at 8.31pm, balls could be bounced on the pitch – but not very impressively.

Fans were told three minutes later the match would resume, with staff now digging around the London Road end of the surface..

Referee Stephen Parkinson came out to test the the pitch – with a puddle at one end the main problem.

The ball couldn’t be bounced there – but cries of joy ran out from the crowd every time a ball was kicked more than a few yards.

And after more furious forking, players returned – in what, technically, was now time added on.

Finally both teams officially began their second warm-up at 8.53pm – with play restarting just before the hour-mark.