Flooding sees Newcastle's Carabao Cup tie switched to St James' Park

LAST UPDATE | 4 hrs ago

THE CARABAO CUP tie between AFC Wimbledon and Newcastle has been switched to St James’ Park on 1 October 1 after the London club’s stadium was affected by flooding.

The third-round match was due to be played at the Cherry Red Records Stadium tomorrow night but will now be played in England’s north east seven days later.

“Following an agreement between both clubs and subsequent approval from the management committee of the competition, the fixture will now be reversed and will take place a week later at St James’ Park,” an EFL statement said.

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The EFL said Wimbledon’s League Two match against Crewe, which was scheduled for the same night, will now be rearranged.

Images showed one corner of the pitch was particularly damaged by flooding of the River Wandle, with a misshapen surface more reminiscent of a golf course following heavy rainfall in the area.

Walkways running around the ground were also flooded, with the club confirming the stadium was closed “until further notice”.

A fan-initiated JustGiving fundraiser to help the supporter-owned club accelerate repairs has already raised more than £3,500.

The fourth round of the Carabao Cup is due to take place the week commencing 28 October.

Wimbledon reached the third round with a stunning penalty shoot-out victory over Premier League side Ipswich.

Newcastle also secured their spot with a dramatic finale on spot-kicks, beating Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.