Rail strike forces postponement of Brighton and Hove Albion match against Crystal Palace

The rail strike has forced the postponement of the football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace on Saturday 17 September.

Albion said this afternoon (Wednesday 7 September): “It is with regret that our Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday 17 September has been postponed due to the planned industrial action on the rail network.

Chief executive Paul Barber said: “Both clubs wanted the match to take place on the original date and there has been continued dialogue in order to achieve this with all relevant authorities, including Sussex and Surrey Police, other local emergency services and agencies, Brighton and Hove City Council, the Premier League and Crystal Palace.

“Following these discussions, and having carefully evaluated all the factors, the unanimous recommendation of the Safety Advisory Group was to postpone the fixture with the full support of the Premier League.

“While we fully appreciate this will be of huge disappointment to both sets of fans, and causes disruption to both teams’ fixture schedules as well as those of supporters, the safety of fans of both clubs, our matchday staff, players and officials must be the priority.

“We have taken into consideration how difficult it would be for fans of both clubs to attend the match without access to the rail network and we looked at a number of options and various contingency plans.

“This included additonal travel options or moving the match to earlier or later in the same week, with Sunday afternoon the latest the fixture could be played on that weekend due to the international break.

“But it simply was not possible to play the match with a full capacity crowd in attendance.

“We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused fans of both teams but we feel that the right decision has been reached.

“We would also like to thank Crystal Palace, the Premier League and the authorities for their support in this matter.”

The club added: “At this stage there is no new date for the fixture and ticket holders should retain their tickets.

“Once a new date is confirmed, match-ticket purchasing supporters unable to attend the game will have seven days to apply for a refund.”