First Carabao Cup fixture involving Premier League club called off after flooding leaves stadium with 'sinkhole' in the pitch

Newcastle's Carabao Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday has been postponed due to extensive flooding.

Bad weather is set to hit England in the early stage of this week, with the Met Office putting out several 'significant' flood warnings for various parts of the country.

The warnings cover the majority of the south of England - with Wimbledon among the places to be hit.

The League Two side are now back at Plough Lane, where the original Wimbledon played its games prior to the club being taken out of the city and relocated to Milton Keynes before having its identity changed.

And following extensive flooding to the pitch overnight, both clubs have now confirmed that the match has been postponed.

It was due to take place on Tuesday with a 7:45pm kick-off, but will now have to be re-arranged.

In a statement, AFC Wimbledon said: "We regret to inform supporters that due to extensive overnight flooding of the River Wandle and surrounding areas, including at our Cherry Red Records Stadium, Tuesday night's Carabao Cup fixture against Newcastle United has been postponed."

Footage from Twitter user Sam Neve shows the extent of the damage to the pitch and the surrounding areas in Wimbledon.

The connecting streets to the stadium are completely flooded, while a sinkhole has emerged in one corner of the pitch.

It’s not looking good ahead of the Wimbledon v Newcastle game at Plough Lane tomorrow night… pic.twitter.com/QUo9tPGXdu

— Sam Neve (@SJNeve) September 23, 2024

Six other Carabao Cup third round ties are due to take place this week, with the majority featuring Premier League teams who are also competing in Europe.

Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool are all at home.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, travel to League One side Wycombe, while Leicester face a trip to Walsall of League Two.

There has been flooding reported around Walsall, although there are no reports around Wycombe at the time of writing. A decision has yet to made over the status of either fixture.