Second Division Hebburn are considering a complaint to the league after a wasted trip to Whitehaven on Monday.

Hebburn made the cross country trip after they set off at 9am, only for the referee to call the game off at 2.15 because of a frozen pitch.

"We received a call from Whitehaven at 9am saying that the pitch was fine.

"But when we got there, the match referee wasn't keen on playing,and I asked him to give it a go considering the distance we'd come. Both teams wanted to play.

"Whitehaven told us that we couldn't warm up on the pitch, and that we should go on the adjoining 3G surface. The referee wanted us to warm up on the pitch, so then that would help him make a final decision.

"But when he discovered that the teams couldn't warm up on the field, then he called the game off."

The bus for the 200 mile round trip cost Hebburn £500, which they'll have to fork out again for the re-arranged game, whenever that may be.

Birtley are also unhappy with the circumstances of their wasted trip to Gillford Park when the game was postponed at 11am when they were 30 miles away from Gretna's ground.

Both Hebburn and Birtley have both pointed out that the situations might not have occured of a lcoal referee had inspected the respective pitches, but on the other hand it would have been difficult to obtain the services of a local referee at short notice.