BRIDPORT'S FA Cup dreams were put on hold after floodlight failure at Zembard Lane last night.

The Bees' preliminary round replay at Chard Town was postponed at the last minute when three bulbs went out on one side of the ground.

Portsmouth referee Andy Laver waited until it got dark to make a decision in an effort to get the tie played, but in the end he said he had no choice but to protect the players.

He added: "We had concerns over the players' safety because there were vast dark areas and we just could not guarantee that.

"We had to see how dark it was - you could not tell how good the floodlights would be when it was still light and in the end they were not good enough."

The Football Association agreed to allow the replay to be re-arranged for next Tuesday, September 14 (7.45pm), to avoid disruption to the league programme on Saturday.

Robins chairman Brian Beer explained that two new bulbs had been fitted and tested earlier in the day and appeared to be working fine.

He said: "Everything was checked, but both new bulbs have failed along with one more, so there is obviously a problem with the switch gear and we will not know what until we get the electricians to check them out.

"If it is not solved by Sunday we will replay the game next Tuesday at Bridport - both sides are happy to do that if necessary."

However, Chard and former Weymouth striker Martin Underhay was unhappy that the game was cancelled and claimed Bridport manager Bob Russell had put pressure on the referee.

He said: "I'm very disappointed that tonight's game was postponed because Bob Russell severely pressured the referee into the decision.

"It was clear that he was missing three key players on the night and was desperately looking for an excuse and a way out.

"Although I think he has been very clever in doing this, I think it's a low move.

"Sometimes you can shoot yourself in the foot and I hope that this is a classic example, and we can beat them whenever this tie is played."

But Russell refuted the claims, saying that the decision was down to the referee in the interests of the players.