(abandoned after 48 minutes) Yesterday's rain did more than dampen the enthusiasm of Dandy Town supporters.

It also resulted in abandonment of the Hornets' game against Southampton Rangers three minutes into the second half.

With Town leading 1-0 on the strength of a Darren Simons goal in the 30th minute, referee Cal Simons ruled the pitch at St.John's Field had become unplayable and sent the teams home.

While most fans -- only about half of whom had remained after the first half -- may not have objected, Town coach Mark Trott did. The call probably cost his team three points.

The rain started as a sprinkle as Simons blew the opening whistle but quickly developed into a torrential downpour. The slick conditions made ball control nearly impossible and every shot towards the net dangerous.

By the start of the second half, several sections of the pitch were little more than a quagmire. After consulting with his linesmen, Simons started the second half -- but after watching players flop around, madly thrashing at a bobbling ball during one sequence in the Rangers' box, he wisely called it a day.

Town had another reason to wish the game had gone on: They totally dominated a tough Rangers side who were without their top player, striker Janeiro Tucker.

Southampton appeared out of synch, and were limited to an Ascento Russell rocket just over the bar and one poorly-taken corner. The only other significant foray into the Town end resulted in a hard tackle and a brief scuffle involving a half-dozen players from each side.

In contrast, Town went on the attack early and often, and only some alert goalkeeping from Randy Darrell -- particularly an early stop from Carlos Smith -- kept the game close.

But Darrell, entirely coated in mud, couldn't handle them all. Simons scored the only goal with a shot that hit the 'keeper and ricocheted right back to the fleet Town striker, who easily converted his second chance.

While the goal ultimately didn't stand up, the two yellow cards issued by Simons did. Rangers' Russell was booked in the 17th minute for a handball and David Tucker in the 39th for tackling from behind.