Nottingham Forest have apologised to fans who were left waiting in sub-zero temperatures outside the ground after turnstiles were closed due to the freezing conditions. One Reds supporter said “thousands were left waiting outside the ground at 3.20pm”, missing most of the first half of the FA Cup third round 2-0 win over Luton Town.
The supporter, who said he was told by stewards the steps to the stand were unsafe, described it as “terrible organisation for a club of our stature”. “We’ve only been having freezing weather for the last five days or so and our ground can’t be prepared,” he said.
In an official statement, Forest said a number of supporters were unable to access the Upper Bridgford stand ahead of kick off due to safety reasons. The club said the vast majority of supporters were inside the City Ground within 10 minutes of the 3pm kick-off.
“Despite regular gritting ahead of kick off, persistent and stubborn icy conditions on the vomitories dictated that a small number of turnstiles providing access to the Upper Bridgford stand had to be closed in the interests of the safety of supporters,” the club said.
“Thankfully the vast majority of fans were inside the stadium within ten minutes of kick off, but the club wishes to apologise sincerely to those fans who were inconvenienced as a result of this issue. The safety and security of our staff and supporters is our number one priority on matchdays.”
Other Reds fans vented their frustrations on social media. One wrote: “There was clearly no plan as to what to do to get fans in. That’s unacceptable. Why are there no contingencies?”
“There should have been better planning. It’s not like the freezing conditions or the number of fans coming were a surprise,” another added.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side ran out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Ryan Yates and Ramón Sosa. Next up the Reds turn their attention to a huge top of the table Premier League clash at home to Liverpool on Tuesday (January 14).
The Reds currently sit in third place on 40 points while leaders Liverpool are top on 46 points.