On December 16, the match between AFC Bournemouth and Luton Town was abandoned in the 65th minute. Fans are already asking what this will mean for the result and what happened to the last abandoned Premier League match.
The Last Time a Premier League Match Was Abandoned
Match Abandoned: Bournemouth vs Luton
The fixture between Bournemouth and Luton was abandoned after 65 minutes. Tom Lockyer had collapsed in the 60th minute.
After about 30 minutes of uncertainty, the match was announced as abandoned. A club statement later revealed that Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest but was responsive before leaving the field. The captain is now in hospital and stable.
Match Abandoned: Watford vs Wigan Athletic
In order to seek precedent for this rare situation, we look back to the most recent Premier League match to be abandoned mid-game – on 30 December 2006.
In direct parallel to this weekend’s situation, Watford and Wigan Athletic were drawing 1-1 in the second half when the referee paused the match in the 56th minute.
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This situation was due to torrential rain that led to a waterlogged pitch at Vicarage Road. The halt in play lasted for ten minutes before it was abandoned.
The match was replayed from minute zero on February 21 2007, 52 days after the abandoned one. Coincidentally, this match also finished 1-1.
All records from the December match were erased from Premier League history – leaving Emile Heskey and Tamas Priskin, presumably quite frustrated.
What To Expect
It is expected that the match at the Vitality Stadium will be completely replayed at a later date, exactly the same as in 2006. With the sides drawing at the moment of abandonment, it only makes sense.
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The Football Association (FA) rules reflect this precedent:
“In the event of a competition match not being played or abandoned owing to causes over which neither club has control, it should be played in its entirety on a date to be mutually agreed by the two clubs and approved by the competition.”
Should Bournemouth and Luton get knocked out of the FA Cup early, the fixture could be replayed on an FA Cup weekend.
Why Have There Been Fewer Abandonments Recently?
Between the inaugural 1992/93 season and 2007, there were six cases of mid-game abandonments in the Premier League. This included three occasions during the first half of the 1997/98 season. From the year 2007, there have been no cases until now.
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Three cases were of waterlogged pitches, and three were of failed floodlights. As the modern game has advanced, so has technology, meaning heated pitches and improved floodlights have prevented any recent abandonments.
This means that, excluding rare medical incidents, we should not see many games abandoned midway through.
