DAVID Flitcroft fully supported referee Tony Harrington’s decision to call off today’s League Two match at home to play-off rivals Southend after less than seven minutes of play.

Harrington had given the all clear for the match to start, but heavy rain immediately before kick-off, which continued after the game got under way led to a quick u-turn.

After halting the game to talk to both managers, Harrington initially decided to take the players off for 30 minutes to see how the weather developed.

But with huge puddles forming across the entire surface it was eventually decided to postpone the game due to a waterlogged pitch around 3.20pm.

“We were in discussions with the referee and the assessors before the game and it was good enough to play, no question,” said the Bury manager.

“It has absolutely just come out of the sky. You cannot control what I have just witnessed there.

“The train of thought when the referee came over was to give it 30 minutes but I don’t think that would have seeped through in an hour.

“So it was an absolute nailed on decision, and no blame from the referee’s point of view.

“He had every right to start the football match.

“The ball was rolling in the warm-up and the lads said that it was playing the best it had done for a while because of the rain.

“It’s one of those things – but the football club has acted in a professional manner and well done to the referee for making a brave and correct decision – one million per cent.”

Flitcroft said the referee had a duty of care to protect both sets of players.

And while he understood concerns aired by opposition manager Phil Brown, the Shakers boss added: “The way it (the ball) was sticking and stopping, it has become a danger factor. The referee has got a duty of care to the players.

“It was an experienced referee, with an experienced team down here, and they have made the right decision.

“They have done it as a team so well done to the referee’s association.”

Brown did not disagree with the final decision of the referee, but he was unhappy about the speed with which puddles started to form after play was halted after just six mins 38secs.

“I got told before the game that they had spent £157,000 on the pitch in pre-season,” he said.

“Twenty minutes before the game we were thinking that it was going to be a decent game of football, we were looking forward to it. You come out at 2.55pm and think ‘wow where’s that gone?’ “As a whole, I’m disappointed for the travelling fans first and foremost because they spend their lives supporting this football club.

“But there was far too much at stake, it was a six pointer in the old-fashion sense of the word.

“Both of us are talking about promotion, hanging on to the shirt-tails of the top three. We couldn’t afford to lose the game today and it was too risky to have gone ahead with it.”

Bury went into the game in fourth place, four points better off than fifth-placed Southend.

The match will now be replayed either on Tuesday April 21 or 28, with an official decision expected to be announced this week.

All fans who attended today’s match were given a voucher to redeem on entry into the rearranged fixture.

It was a bad day for the Shakers all round as they lost ground on the automatic promotion places.

Both Shrewsbury and Wycombe Wanderers, who started the day level on points in second and third place respectively, picked up vital away victories to open up a seven-point cushion over Bury.

Shrewsbury won 2-0 at Portsmouth while Wycombe ground out a 1-0 victory at Dagenham and Redbridge.