The Championship fixture between Forest and Bournemouth has been postponed because of the damage done to the stadium.

The Met Office has issued a red weather warning for much of the south east of England, with strong winds and continued disruption expected.

Two promotion-chasing sides would go head to head live on Sky Sports.

A statement posted on the club's official website at 4pm on Friday said that structural engineers had inspected the stadium and had confirmed that the damage could pose a significant risk to supporters' safety.

Tonight's game against Nottingham Forest has been postponed for safety reasons following damage to Vitality Stadium caused by Storm Eunice.

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) February 18, 2022

The damage can't be repaired in time for the fixture on Friday or on Saturday because of the impact of the storm.

The postponement was recommended by the Safety Advisory Group.

A new date for the fixture will be announced soon. If you can't attend the rearranged fixture, you will be eligible for a refund.

The club apologizes for the hassle caused by this announcement, but would like to assure supporters that it has been made with the safety of everyone in mind.

Bournemouth are in second place in the Championship, six points behind the leaders, but four ahead of third place, while Forest are two points outside the play-offs.

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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Blackpool and AFC Bournemouth.

The decision came less than four hours before the game.

The statement from Forest said that they had received confirmation from Bournemouth that the match had been postponed.

The club appreciates the efforts of supporters already in Bournemouth and those travelling this afternoon. The match will not happen this weekend. The club tried to have the match played.

The club will confirm details in due course of free coach travel for those who missed out, as a thank you for your support.

We wish our supporters a safe journey home and we look forward to seeing you all there on Tuesday.

Which other games have fallen victim to Storm Eunice?

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Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe says Storm Eunice could affect their travel plans to London ahead of their trip to West Ham and that the wind has made training more difficult this week.

The National League fixture between Southend and Grimsby has been called off.

The situation deteriorated significantly between 2pm and 4pm. Advertising boards have been torn off and other debris has been strewn across the pitch.

Rugby union and racing were also affected by one of the worst storms to hit the UK in a generation and the Sky Bet League Two clash against Barrow was called off on Friday.

The United Rugby Championship match between Cardiff and Zebre was also postponed.

The Met Office issued rare red warnings as potentially record-breaking gusts of more than 120mph were recorded in the most exposed areas, causing race meetings at Fakenham, Lingfield and Southwell to be called off.

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Ascot racegoers shelter from the rain
Ascot's clerk of the course Chris Stickels is hopeful that the track can avoid damage from Storm Eunice and reports ground conditions to be holding up well ahead of Saturday's Ascot Chase meeting.

Concerns over the integrity of St James Park led to the postponement of the match.

We do not have enough time to inspect the high level structure to confirm if any lasting damage has been done by the persistent high winds.

We tried to make the decision early for everyone, including Barrow, who would be travelling down today.

All options to inspect the necessary connections at high level of the Big Bank are not possible during high winds, which are expected to continue until the scheduled kick-off tomorrow.

The match at East End Park was called off due to a waterlogged pitch, while the decision over the trip to the Arms Park was made in the health and safety interests of all staff and team personnel.

There will be a 9am inspection on Saturday to see if the League Two clash with Crawley can go ahead.