Father and son, John and John Baker, from Folkestone arrive at Luton Airport aftering retuning from Poland

by James Scott

Disgruntled football fans have voiced their disgust at missing out on England's match with Poland after the fixture was rained off yesterday.

John Baker, 48, from Folkestone, and his son John, 23, were among hundreds of furious fans forced to fly home today after the crucial World Cup Qualifier in Poland was cancelled.

They narrowly missed out on the re-scheduled fixture this afternoon.

The businessman, who runs County Hardware store in Cheriton, said he spent £700 on the trip and would have had to fork out another £350 to change their flights.

"The fact that they didn't shut the roof is just sheer incompetence," he said.

"I always like Roy Hodgson but he annoyed me. All he was worried about was their schedule, he didn't mention the fans.

"Everyone on the flight felt the same. They're just disgusted that the roof wasn't closed and that they're going to miss the match."

He added: "It was a good atmosphere but it's not going to be the same now. We had about 2,500 fans out there originally. I reckon there will be less than half that now."

"I would rather it had been postponed until November because it was a game I wanted to see."

William Jackson, 32, from Dover, was also left devastated after spending £500 on the match - his first ever England game.

The prison officer had been planning the trip with pal Matthew Baker, 36, since July, and been really excited at seeing England play for the first time.

He said: "I was devastated. I have never been to see England play before so I was really looking forward to the match.

"It must have cost us about £500 each, which we have been saving up for a while. It was a joke we all knew the weather was bad.

"The forecast was quite clear, so why they could not put the roof up is a complete mystery.

"Also to make things worse the Polish official never told us what was going on I had to get all my information from my girlfriend who was watching the coverage on ITV.

"It is such a shame before the match there was a brilliant atmosphere between both sets of fans, so I think it was going to be a great game."

The Football Supporters' Federation said today 1,000 fans were expected at the rearranged fixture and praised supporters for their "tolerant response".

A spokesman said: "FIFA should hold an enquiry as to what happened for the sake of transparency, and also to see if there are any lessons that need to be learnt for future procedures. This should not happen again.

"However, there are positives to be taken too.

"The good-humoured and tolerant response of the England fans has drawn plaudits all round and the FSF’s Fans' Embassy came into its own supporting fans in Warsaw.

"Around 1000 England fans have stayed in Warsaw for this afternoon’s rearranged game.

"While it's impossible for the FSF to name an "average" amount of money spent due to variables in the price of flights and hotels it won't be uncommon for fans to have spent £500."

A spokesman for the FA yesterday said England fans would be given a full refund by the Polish Football Association.