Boss Steve Cooper has expressed his “frustration” that a late postponement meant Nottingham Forest fans had a long trip to Bournemouth with no reward.
The Reds were due to face the Cherries in a crunch Championship clash at the Vitality Stadium on Friday night.
But the match was called off barely four hours before kick-off, at about 4pm, with Bournemouth citing damage to the ground caused by Storm Eustice, saying it could “pose a significant risk to supporters’ safety”.
By then, many of the travelling contingent were either already on the south coast or well on their way there.
“We were preparing for the game as normal. It wasn’t until late on that the game was called off,” said Cooper.
“What we had in camp - with the team and the players - might have been slightly calmer than what was going on at the stadium or with our operations team.
“I’m surprised it was called off as late as what it was.
“From a sporting point of view, we have to get on with it. We got on the bus, travelled back and quickly started getting in preparation mode for the next game.
“You’re always disappointed when you don’t play. There’s been a lot of cancellations this season, for different reasons.
“But from a sporting point of view, I think it’s really important you let the operational team get on with processes and procedures; you just get ready for the next game.
“The frustrating bit for me is for our supporters who travelled, with it being a Friday night game and a long journey.
“I’m sure there are people who took days off work or half-days off work, then there’s paying for fuel, tickets, food, hotels etc. I don’t think we should ever lose sight of how expensive it can be to follow a team - any team, not just for our supporters.
“That’s the bit which doesn’t sit quite right with myself.
“From a sporting point of view, you have to let the operational team get on with why what happened, happened. We get ready for the next game.
“But it’s the supporters who I really felt for.
“I don’t think we would ever intend to treat an opposition set of fans like that.”
Cooper now takes his team to Preston North End on Tuesday night, as they look to continue their promotion push.
He says playing behind closed doors during the pandemic only emphasised the importance of fans to the game.
“We went through one-and-a-half seasons without having supporters in grounds. If there was ever a reason to recognise how important supporters are to our game, then those 18 months without them proved that,” he said.
“We shouldn’t forget those times. And we should really acknowledge the role supporters have within the game.
“I’m not just talking about Nottingham Forest. We were disappointed for our fans on Friday, but the game is about supporters - all supporters, of any team, should never be in the background of people’s thinking.”
Cooper added: “All I could think about was the supporters on Friday, particularly when I got told there were so many of them already in the area and who had booked hotels or taken days off work.
“It was a very unfortunate situation that would have been an expensive one for a lot of people, who would have forked out to have a good day to support their team. Unfortunately it wasn’t that.
“They were at the forefront of my mind. I hope everyone got home safely.”
