Sunderland vs. Reading Called off Due to Waterlogged Pitch

Heavy rainfall in the Wearside area inundated the Stadium of Light pitch Saturday afternoon, and hours before Sunderland were scheduled to face Reading, match referee Neil Swarbrick called the game off due to an unsuitable playing surface, BBC Sport reporter Conor McNamara tweeted.

McNamara's BBC colleague Steven Wyeth reported that Swarbrick said that both managers were in full agreement of the decision, and that any attempt to play the match would have constituted "a farce." The announcement came minutes after the Reading players had arrived at the stadium.

Black Cats manager Martin O'Neill had taken to the pitch along with his opposite number Brian McDermott to assess the situation, but the sight of the two walking off, umbrella in tow, confirmed the inevitable.

According to a feature on Sunderland's official website, the Stadium of Light was to have an "efficient draining system" installed upon its opening in 1997—one of the new ground's requirements, according to club management.

For McDermott, the announcement may come as a bit of a relief. Forced to play a game against Chelsea in midweek—with the Blues scheduled to play Atletico Madrid in the UEFA SuperCup in Monaco next Friday, the fixture was moved up from its initial date—the Sunderland match would have marked the newly-promoted side's third match in the span of a week.

O'Neill, fresh off the signings of Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson, may have been relishing a chance to build upon the momentum of those acquisitions.

He'll have to wait until next week's match away to Swansea to do so, although there is a Capital One Cup match against Morecambe on Aug. 28.