The game got under way at Kingsmeadow in cold and foggy conditions, with the ground staff working hard to clear ice off the pitch before kick-off, but with just six minutes on the clock the referee called over both captains and managers, deciding to abandon the fixture.

The decision was made for player safety, with the freezing conditions seeing several players slipping during the opening exchanges and appearing to be in pain after falling on the hard surface.

‘You could see from the opening minutes it was like an ice rink down the sides,’ said manager Emma Hayes.

‘It’s not for managers to decide that, it’s for the officials to decide if a game is on. It’s minus one degrees, it’s the right decision, it probably shouldn’t have been on to start with.

'It was okay earlier but as soon as we took the covers off it started to freeze again and the temperature hasn’t improved since the first check with the officials at 9.30am.’

The fixture will now be rearranged by the Football Association and played at a future date to be confirmed.

Tickets purchased for today’s match will remain valid for the revised date. Supporters who are unable to attend the revised date can claim a refund no later than 48 hours before kick-off. In order to claim a refund supporters should email [email protected] with the order number and supporter details.