DORCHESTER Town manager Leigh Robinson admitted the Merthyr Town 3G surface was “completely unplayable” as Storm Dennis forced postponement of their fixture.

Robinson’s men had arrived at Penydarren Park only to find the Martyrs’ plastic pitch had been waterlogged by a huge downpour.

Large sections of the man-made turf were submerged, with match officials calling the game off around 90 minutes before kick-off.

Discussing the late call, Robinson felt Merthyr had been “overly optimistic” as the Welsh side tried to get the BetVictor South Premier South clash on.

“It was really bad,” he told Echosport. “The pitch was awful. When we got here at quarter past one, it was completely unplayable.

“What had happened is about 10 to one, as we were still driving, the manager (Gavin Williams) rang up and said the pitch is underwater, the ref’s five minutes away but he said ‘slow down’.

“Of course, only the referee can call it off. He said ‘there’s pretty much no chance because it’s underwater and it’s still going to keep raining.’

“A few of the players had got to the ground a little bit early and there were massive puddles everywhere – it continued to get worse.

“It was one of those things. They were overly optimistic in trying to get it on. It’s a little bit frustrating for the boys – we’ve travelled from Bournemouth, Southampton, these sorts of places.

“Merthyr’s a lovely club and I’m sure they didn’t do it out of any stupidity – they thought they could get the game on, but the pitch couldn’t cope with it.”

Asked whether he had seen a match called off on a 3G pitch due to heavy rain, Robinson said: “No, I haven’t on a 3G.

“Someone told me that Merthyr games have been called off in the past for waterlogging on their 3G pitch.

“It’s the sheer volume of rain in a short period of time, but it’s a first time (for me).”

Saturday’s postponement starved winger Tom Blair of a comeback following a seven-game ban.

“He was absolutely buzzing for it,” Robinson revealed. “I’ve got no doubts that on another 3G pitch he would’ve come out and put on a really good show.

“He was so, so hungry for (the game). As a manager and team, we’re just happy he’s available again because he’s such a massive part of what this team does in the offensive part of the game.

“No doubt, we have struggled to sustain attacks and put teams under consistent pressure without him.

“Just because of the way he plays, in terms of how he can occupy the opposition and get goals out of nowhere, we badly miss that.

“It’s a shame he wasn’t able to get out there, but at least he’s available for the rest of the season.”