Bizarre reason for delayed kick-off to Burton-West Ham FA Cup clash as supporters protest - 'Not the ideal start'

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There was an unexpected delay ahead of Burton v West Ham in the early kick-off on Saturday in the FA Cup fourth round match, as the goal at one end of the ground needed some emergency repairs. The strange atmosphere was exacerbated by the sight of a small plane tugging a banner above the stadium as the away fans staged a protest against the club's board.

Broken net delays start at Burton - 'We haven't even kicked off yet!'

Video credit: TNT Sports

There was an unexpected delay to the kick-off for Burton Albion v West Ham in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

The match saw a much-changed Premier League side arrive at the struggling League One outfit, with both sides hoping to keep or gain some momentum in the cup tie in a match shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Burton and West Ham are both threatened by relegation in their respective divisions, and there was a surprise obstacle to the game getting underway as planned - as the net in one of the goals had come loose before kick-off.

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The players and match officials patiently waited for repairs to be carried out, and as that happened, a plane sporting a protest banner flew overhead.

That stunt had been organised by a group of dissatisfied West Ham fans to coincide with 15 years of ownership by the current board, headed up by David Sullivan and Karren Brady.

The banner read: "SULLIVAN & BRADY OUT - NO MORE BS", with some West Ham fans unhappy at a string of recent managerial changes, with Graham Potter the most recent victim, replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo.

'Go and create memories' - Burton boss Bowyer issues FA Cup rallying cry

Video credit: TNT Sports

Sullivan also headed up the controversial decision to leave the Boleyn Ground in favour of renting the London Stadium, originally built for the 2012 Olympics rather than as a specifically-designed football arena.

Adam Summerton, TNT Sports commentator, reflected on the two events before the game got underway.

He said: "As you can see, the hold up that we’ve got is because of a damaged net there which they’re repairing as we speak.

"We've got a broken net and a plane with a protest banner flying overhead, and we haven't even kicked off yet."

The commentator continued: "We were told to expect there would be a plane going over the stadium, a peaceful and special protest had been promised by West Ham supporters. That protest as you can see is against their board.

"The red cards being held up in correlation with the fact the board has been in place for 15 years.

"I know there is going to be a fan advisory board meeting with Karren Brady at the end of the month."

Alongside him, former Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle thought the delay could knock Burton off their stride, with their pre-match preparations and focus now potentially disrupted.

He explained: "That’s going to work against Burton. They ramped this crowd up with the music before. They were itching to go.

"This net is causing too much of a problem, taking too long. It's not the ideal start for Burton."

Stream the Premier League, Men’s and Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more on TNT Sports and discovery+

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