Ashford United have accused opponents Sevenoaks Town of a lack of respect after manager Micky Collins refused to allow his team to play in the Roy Vinter Shield -the Southern Counties East League's official curtain raiser to the new season - at Homelands on Saturday.

The game between League champions United and League Cup winners Town was postponed an hour before kick-off after Collins claimed the 3G pitch was unplayable.

The SCEL are awaiting reports from referee Chris Myatt, and both clubs before deciding what action to take, but United chief executive Don Crosbie says they don't want the game to be rearranged.

A league statement said: "It is unfortunate that the season opener did not go ahead as planned.

"Until such time officers have that information they cannot make further comment."

Collins was unhappy with a sprinkler in the middle of the pitch.

United chief executive Don Crosbie said: "He (Collins) didn't want to play.

"You could see that in his body language, he kicked a hole in the sprinkler.

"We covered it with rubber crumb, but he still wouldn't play.

"He was also very abusive to our secretary (Denise Peach).

"We asked the referee at 2.15pm if he would play the game and he said 'yes', but Collins had already left the ground by then.

He added: "I think Sevenoaks got the hump because they wanted to stage the game themselves.

"We said as league champions it was our right to host it, but none of their hierarchy were here. We don't want the match played.

"Sevenoaks showed us total disrespect, and Collins' behaviour means he is not welcome at the club."

Sevenoaks chairman Paul Lansdale, refused to comment on the circumstances surrounding the postponement, saying it was now in the hands of the Football Association and the SCEL.

He added: "I couldn't be at the game myself and other members of our committee were on holiday. I did e-mail Ashford last Thursday informing them of that."