Newcastle United have donated £15,000 to League Two side AFC Wimbledon after their Carabao Cup tie was postponed due to extensive flood damage at Plough Lane.
Following heavy rain on Sunday night, images of a massive sinkhole on the Wimbledon pitch emerged on Monday morning and it was not long before the third round clash, due to take place tonight, was called off.
A statement from Wimbledon said: “We regret to inform fans that due to extensive overnight flooding of the River Wandle, Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup third round match against Newcastle United has been postponed.”
A man named Graham Stacey subsequently set up a crowdfunding page with the aim of raising £50,000 to repair the damage.
This target has now been met: Newcastle has contributed £15,000 to the cause, almost a third of the total amount.
AFC Wimbledon suffered flood damage at their ground after heavy rain
A crowdfunding page was set up and Newcastle donated £15,000 to bring the total amount to over £50,000.
The Carabao Cup tie has now been moved to St James’ Park (pictured) and will be played next Tuesday.
The flooding has left Plough Lane looking like a golf course, with no playable facilities for some time.
Newcastle and AFC Wimbledon held talks over an alternative venue on Monday afternoon, with the match now set to be played at St James’ Park on Tuesday 1 October.
The possibility of switching to St James’ this week was deemed too short a notice period for policing and ticketing, while an alternative venue in London was also ruled out for the same reasons.
The winners will progress to the last 16 of the competition and Newcastle will be looking to improve on their 2022-23 form, when they reached the final before losing to Manchester United at Wembley.
But AFC Wimbledon have already caused one major upset this season, knocking out Premier League side Ipswich Town on penalties in the previous round.
Newcastle also needed penalties before overcoming fellow top-flight side Nottingham Forest in their last Carabao Cup game.