Aston Villa vs West Ham weather latest as first FA Cup postponement confirmed and PL2 match off
Aston Villa's FA Cup tie against West Ham United is set to go ahead as planned - despite the club's under-21s side seeing their Friday afternoon Premier League 2 fixture postponed due to adverse weather conditions.
The Young Lions were due to face Stoke City at 2pm on Friday at Clayton Wood, though that fixture has now been called off after a pitch inspection at the Potters' training ground earlier in the day. But Villa are planning for Friday night's FA Cup third-round tie against West Ham to take place at Villa Park.
There are currently no weather warnings in place by the Met Office, suggesting the fixture is set to go ahead as normal. The Met Office weather forecast says temperatures in Birmingham could get as low as -1°C between 6pm and midnight, but no snow is expected to fall.
READ MORE: Aston Villa academy star closes in on return after almost 12 months of injury hell
READ MORE: Jose Mourinho makes transfer plea amid Aston Villa talks
READ | Aston Villa academy star closes in on return after almost 12 months of injury hell
READ | Unai Emery transfer interest 'still present' as Aston Villa identify area for reinforcements
Temperatures across the United Kingdom have plummeted into the minuses this week and as a result, several fixtures across the Football League and National League were postponed.
On Friday, Oldham Athletic's National League clash against Eastleigh, scheduled for Saturday, was postponed after a referee conducted a pitch inspection at Boundary Park. Elsewhere, Carlise's League Two fixture against MK Dons was also called off due to freezing weather conditions.
Shrewsbury vs Huddersfield Town, Hartlepool United vs Barnet, Altrincham vs Wealdstone, Northampton Town vs Barnsley, Maidenhead United vs York City and Southend United vs Halifax Town have also all been postponed. The FA Cup has also had its first postponement announced, with Mansfield Town vs Wigan now set to take place on Tuesday, January 14.
Against the Hammers on Friday night, though, Villa will be without striker Jhon Duran who is currently serving a three-game suspension for the red card he received against Newcastle United on Boxing Day.
After the 3-0 defeat at St James' Park, Villa were unsuccessful in their appeal to the Football Association about Duran's dismissal, with Unai Emery insisting he didn't believe the 21-year-old kicked out at Fabian Schar on purpose.
"I think he didn’t kick him on purpose," said Emery. "Of course we are going to appeal and hopefully it’s not three matches because it’s a very big punishment for this action."
