‘Did not agree’ – EFL club give furious statement after game is postponed 18 minutes before kick-off

Jan 4, 2026 - 20:00

Hull City’s Championship clash against Watford was postponed at 2:42pm on Sunday, 18 minutes before it was due to kick-off.

In a club statement, the Tigers confirmed the decision was made ‘due to player safety concerns.’

Hull’s clash against Watford will take place on a different date[/caption]

“While the pitch is playable and has been passed by the referee, areas surrounding the playing surface have been deemed unsafe,” the statement read.

“Although this has been constantly worked on, conditions haven’t improved and with temperatures continuing to fall, player safety cannot be guaranteed.”

Watford’s response

However, Watford were less than pleased at the decision for the game to be called off so soon before it was meant to start.

“While player safety is paramount, we are really disappointed the game has been postponed as we were ready to play,” Watford wrote on X shortly after the announcement was made.

“The decision to postpone the fixture so close to kick-off is regrettable and we fully share the frustration of our supporters.”

Later on Sunday, Watford put out another statement slamming the decision and insisting they didn’t agree to the postponement.

“We hope all our inconvenienced fans made it home safely from Hull,” it read.

“We reiterate we were ready and willing to play after the pitch was passed fit by the referee.

“We remain disappointed by the decision to postpone, and by how the decision was reached.

“We did not agree to the postponement.”

Hull City FC Stadium — The decision to postpone the game at short notice has left a sour taste in the Watford camp

The match was one of several EFL games which did not take place this weekend due to low temperatures across the country.

Ground staff at the MKM Stadium went to great lengths in their bid to get the game underway.

In footage captured by Sky Sports, staff members were seen using a blowtorch to thaw the ice on the area surrounding the pitch.

Despite their best efforts, it was to no avail.

Hull went into Sunday’s clash sitting sixth in the Championship, one spot behind Watford.

However, the Hornets are only ahead of their rivals in the table thanks to a superior goal difference as both sides boast a points tally of 41 after 25 games played.

View Tweet: https://t.co/5MyCiKybnB

Not even the prolonged use of a blowtorch to thaw the ice was enough for Hull’s match against Watford to go ahead[/caption]

Watford had rocketed up into the play-off spots thanks to a four-straight victories.

In that run, Javi Gracia’s side have beaten Stoke City, Leicester City, Norwich City and Birmingham City.

Hull had also enjoyed a recent run of form as they won four from five games to round out 2025.

However, the Tigers began the new year on the wrong foot as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat away to Stoke to begin 2026.

Sergej Jakirovic’s troops went into Sunday’s fixture hoping to avenge a 2-1 loss at Vicarage Road earlier this season, where Vivaldo Semedo’s 78th-minute winner proved to be the difference.