Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town strike agreement as controversial fixture date confirmed | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers' Championship clash with Ipswich Town has now been rescheduled

Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town now know the date of when their controversially abandoned fixture will take place in full after more than two weeks of waiting.

The Tractor Boys' initial trip to Rovers' Ewood Park was pencilled in for Saturday, September 20th, in what was due to be each side's sixth Championship fixture of the season.

Despite the vast majority of the United Kingdom being subject to intense wind and weather warnings on the original fixture date, the second tier clash went ahead as initially planned despite such strong adverse conditions.

However, the game was the only one of nine fixtures in the division not to be completed on the day, with referee Stephen Martin deeming the pitch as unplayable with 10 minutes remaining. Rovers were on course for just a second league win of the season against Kieran McKenna's side, who had Jacob Greaves sent off 10 minutes before Todd Cantwell's penalty found the back of the net on 59 minutes.

In the fallout of the encounter, supporters, playing and managerial staff associated with both sides have dished out their respective stances on the matter after it was confirmed that the game would be replayed in full at a later date, much to the dismay of Valerien Ismael and Rovers' utility player, Taylor Gardner-Hickman.

It was, ultimately, a scenario which would have angered one side of the argument in some way, shape or form. However, as the second tier is in the thick of a two-week international break, Ismael and McKenna can now plot towards what is set to be a fiery encounter when replayed later on in the season.

Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town strike agreement as Championship clash rescheduled

It has now been confirmed that the clash will now take place on the evening of Tuesday, December 2nd, just under two months from now.

The game will kick-off from the first minute at 7:45PM on the aforementioned date, with the previous clash null and void, albeit Greaves' aforementioned red card did stand for Ipswich's following encounter - a 2-1 win against Portsmouth at Portman Road on September 27th.

Whilst the two divisional rivals and their respective fanbases have failed to see eye-to-eye on many facets which determined the eventual outcome following the initial abandonment, they, along with the wider footballing community, will no doubt have full respect for their hierarchies, who have put together some reasonable adjustments in order to entice as many supporters to the fixture - especially those who were among the 16,032 who braved the heavy rain and wind in September.

Blackburn and Ipswich have agreed to offer half-price tickets to those who were in the aforementioned attendance figure, whilst Rovers supporters with a pre-existing season ticket or seasonal hospitality package will not have to part with any additional costs.

Home supporters who also subsequently purchase a 'flexi season ticket' will also be guaranteed entry at a reduced rate, whilst remaining tickets have been moved down in Blackburn's pricing structure.

Meanwhile, the same 50 percent discount on tickets will apply to those who pre-purchased prior to the initial game in the away end, whilst Town have also stated that a voucher worth half of the ticket cost will be sent to supporters for them to spend in the club shop at Portman Road.

Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town's fortunes have been contrasting since Ewood Park abandonment

It is understandable why Blackburn wanted to play the final 10 minutes only with the scoreline remaining at 1-0, such was the advantage they'd worked so hard to attain in September.

Ismael claimed that the EFL's decision had "put the integrity of football in danger", whilst Ipswich have confirmed they have no plans to let Blackburn take the lead in the now confirmed, rearranged outing, in a similar scenario to what occurred between Leeds United and Aston Villa in April 2019.

Since the initial game, Rovers have lost two and drawn one of their three league outings, seeing them sit in 21st after nine games, whilst the 1-0 win they were on their way towards would only see them as high as 19th.

Meanwhile, defeat at Ewood Park would have only added to Ipswich's inconsistent start despite a prior 5-0 demolition of Sheffield United.

Since then, though, McKenna's team of high-profile and technically-gifted figures have ignited their campaign with two wins and a draw, and they are now ninth in the division, just six points behind early leaders, Coventry City.

Therefore, whilst it's hard to predict what will occur in the games between now and December 2nd, based on current form and trajectory, many would tip the visitors for an eventual success in East Lancashire that would only add to the controversy.