Blackburn and Ipswich ordered to replay match in full - despite previous game having 10 minutes left

Fintan Starkey

By Fintan Starkey


Published: 25/09/2025

- 19:25

The match-up was abandoned due to a water-logged pitch

The English Football League has determined that the postponed fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town must be restarted from the beginning, rather than resumed from where play stopped.

The Championship encounter was halted on Saturday when the pitch became unplayable due to excessive water.


At the point of abandonment, the home side held a one-goal advantage courtesy of Todd Cantwell's spot-kick in the second period.

The visitors' situation had deteriorated further following Jacob Greaves' dismissal, leaving them with only ten players on the field.

Blackburn, Ipswich

The match was abandoned with only 10 minutes left on Saturday

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GETTY

No date has been confirmed for when the fixture will be rescheduled.

The ruling means Blackburn must forfeit their goal and numerical superiority, with both teams starting afresh when they next meet.

Blackburn's manager Valerien Ismael has expressed frustration at the decision, arguing his team deserved to be awarded all three points from the fixture.

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"We've got the right to want the three points because it's the fair thing to do, especially when the opponent is down to 10," Ismael stated.

The Rovers boss emphasised the significant shift in momentum following the dismissal, noting that playing against eleven players would have presented an entirely different scenario.

"We were clearly at an advantage and the data shows that we were on the front foot since the red card," he added.

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Blackburn, Ipswich

Extreme weather forced play to be stopped

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Ismael's comments reflect his belief that the circumstances at the time of abandonment - with his side ahead and facing depleted opposition - warranted awarding Blackburn the victory rather than ordering a complete restart.

The EFL's ruling follows established precedent for handling postponed fixtures, maintaining consistency in their approach to abandoned matches.

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In March 2023, a Championship encounter between Rotherham United and Cardiff City faced similar circumstances when waterlogging forced its cancellation.

Despite Cardiff holding a one-goal lead at the time, officials mandated a complete restart rather than resuming from the point of interruption.

Todd Cantwell

Todd Cantwell had put Blackburn ahead before the game was called off

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GETTY

The league applied identical principles to a League One fixture between Leyton Orient and Lincoln City, which was halted in the 82nd minute due to a medical emergency amongst spectators. Even with just eight minutes remaining, the EFL required both clubs to replay the entire 90 minutes.

These precedents demonstrate the governing body's unwavering stance that abandoned matches must restart from scratch, regardless of the scoreline or remaining time.