TIVERTON Town were left frustrated after their New Year's Day match at Chippenham Town was frozen off at half-time.

It was Tivvy's third Southern League Premier Division game in a row to be the victim of the weather, with referee Adrian Matthews choosing to abandon the match after 45 minutes.

It was undoubtedly the correct decision as patches of the Hardenhuish Park pitch lay visibly frozen and players on both sides struggled to keep their footing, particularly leading up to the break.

But the decision to abort the game after a goalless first half made the official's refusal to cancel the match before kick-off seem all the stranger.

With areas of frost covering the surface, and the temperature dropping all the time, it seemed unrealistic in the extreme to expect the match to last the duration.

That fact made it all the more frustrating for the group of Yellows' fans who had made their way up the motorway to Wiltshire, not to mention the players of both sides.

But after Chippenham had gone all out to ensure the New Year's Day fixture went ahead, Tiverton chief Martyn Rogers admitted he could understand Matthews' decision to try and get the game on.

"It was a difficult one for the referee, especially on a Bank Holiday," he said.

"It was really borderline before the game, although, personally, I wouldn't have played it.

"But the home side are always keen to get a game on on days like this because you get a decent gate and they did everything they possibly could to thaw the pitch out, so I don't blame the ref at all.

"We didn't put any pressure on the referee at half-time but you could see players were slipping around certain parts of the pitch, so it couldn't really go on.

"The temperature was only going to drop as well, so there was no way it could have thawed any more than it already had done.

"It was tough for us travelling up here and the fans who came up, too. But, like I said, I don't blame the ref because it was a difficult decision to make."

For the 45 minutes that were played, Chippenham were the brighter team, enjoying a number of long-range chances, which Tivvy keeper Steve Book did well to deal with.

Winger Jon Davies had the first opportunity for the hosts after just three minutes, but his shot from 12 yards was smothered by Book. Nathan Rudge was lucky to escape the book against his old team minutes later when he produced a reckless challenge on Luke Gullick 10 yards outside his own penalty area, but Lewis Powell struck the free-kick narrowly over.

The visitors produced the best move of the match after 20 minutes when Joe Bushin hung in the air to meet Adam Faux's pinpoint cross, but his header looped wide of the Chippenham goal.

It was a warning to the hosts of what Tivvy were capable of, though they struggled to get their passing game going on the rock hard surface.

Elliott Frear and Alex Faux were struggling to keep their feet down the left, causing Frear to switch wings midway through the half.

All that served to do was create an imbalance in the game, with neither team happy to play down the flank nearest the main stand.

The home side took advantage of that by trying to funnel the ball through the middle, with Scott Lye, Ben Highmore and James Martin going close.

Mike Booth was in superb form for the Yellows though, covering every inch of ground at the back and making several crucial interceptions.

And his teammates had the sweeper to thank for keeping the game goalless on 38 minutes when Ashley Williams' low shot fizzed through Book's legs from an acute angle only for Booth to hack clear on the line.

That proved to be the last meaningful move of the game as Matthews called an early end to proceedings after whistling for half-time.

The Wiltshire club will now pay for Tiverton's expenses the next time the two sides meet in the rearranged fixture.

And, despite being in desperate need of the points, Rogers remained philosophical about the farcical nature of the aborted encounter.

"We didn't pick up any injuries, which was a Godsend," he said.

"We can't afford to pick up injuries at this stage of the season and I think we would have had different feelings if we'd lost a player because the pitch was dangerous.

"In the end we just wanted to make sure we got off the pitch without picking up any knocks so we were pleased from that perspective."

And the Tivvy chief praised Chippenham's efforts to see in the new year with a game.

"They did everything they could to get the game on and they were brilliant on the day," he added. "They did their best, but in the end the pitch was just too hard.

"It was frustrating for everyone who was there, fans and players alike, but there was nothing we could do about it."