Why was Rotherham vs Cardiff City called off? Date for rescheduled EFL match - weather forecast

Heavy rainfall ensured Cardiff’s relegation scrap with Rotherham had to be postponed with just two minutes played in the second half and the visitors leading 1-0.

After much deliberation between the officials, managers and the EFL, the game was eventually called off on Saturday, 18 March, despite Rotherham’s ground staff working hard to remove standing water from the pitch. The game offered both teams a chance to put some distance between the other and suck the loser further into the battle to stay up, but the game has been rescheduled for 27 April.

Sky Sports will provide live coverage of the rearranged fixture at the New York Stadium on Thursday night. It remains a key fixture as both sides look to put distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

Here is all you need to know:

Why was the game called off?

Cardiff got off to a flier and were ahead in the fifth minute. The goal was carved out by Callum O’Dowda, who first ran at the Millers’ defence and was then on hand to head back across goal from Mahlon Romeo’s cross to set up Jaden Philogene for a simple finish.

Former Cardiff man Lee Peltier came close to netting a swift equaliser after the ball fell to him in a scramble but his effort went into the side-netting. The visiting side were looking threatening on the break and Philogene started another rapid move which ended in Romeo’s shot being blocked by Tyler Blackett.

Rotherham enjoyed a decent spell before the break but were still inches away from going in 2-0 down when Perry Ng’s free-kick from the edge of the box rattled the crossbar. Viktor Johansson then came to Rotherham’s aid when Sheyi Ojo was released by Sory Kaba only to see his shot kept out.

A torrential downpour started during the interval and carried on as the match restarted. It quickly became clear that the standing water was becoming a big issue for the players and just two-and-a-half minutes into the second half, referee Oliver Langford decided to take the players off with play suspended.

The two managers inspected the pitch alongside the referee and the game was eventually called off just before 5pm.

When is the rearranged fixture?

Rotherham will welcome Cardiff to the New York Stadium at 8pm on Thursday, 27 April. Despite more than half the match having been played before it was called off, the rescheduled game will start from fresh.

It will be a 90 minute match and both teams will start level at 0-0. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Football.

What is the weather forecast?

The first attempt at Rotherham vs Cardiff was called off due to heavy rain causing the pitch to be severly water logged. It was stopped due to safety concerns.

The Met Office is forecasting more rain for Thursday, 27 April. On its website the weather service explains: “Cloudy changing to light rain by early evening.”

On its hour-by-hour forecast, the Met Office adds:

• 8pm - light rain
• 9pm - heavy rain
• 10pm - heavy rain
• 11pm - heavy rain