Bristol Rovers head coach Joey Barton has cast a huge doubt over a clash against Havant & Waterlooville to honour the deal that saw Kenyan forward Jonah Ayunga join Bristol in June 2020.Ayunga made the move from Waterlooville to Bristol in last summer’s transfer window for an undisclosed fee but the deal included an exhibition match to be played during the 2021 pre-season.👊 Wishing a Happy 24th Birthday to @JonahAyunga today! 🎉#BristolRovers pic.twitter.com/HPyXAVtxeV— Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) May 24, 2021 The Manchester City midfielder who is now at the helm of Bristol has second thoughts about the match with Waterlooville’s playing surface being artificial.“I found out last week they play on astroturf and I will not be risking our players on astroturf, I think it’s too dangerous,”“The friendly was put in as part of Jonah’s deal, and that’s going to be a tricky one to handle politically but I just can’t risk any of our players on astroturf,” said Barton. Ayunga who is a Brighton and Hove Albion academy graduate had an underwhelming campaign last season, scoring two goals and setting up further two goals as Bristol suffered relegation to League Two.16th – Jonah Ayunga0.67 points (30 appearances)15th – James Daly0.71 points (28 appearances) pic.twitter.com/n2YXCVLXGV— Joe Francis (@joefrancis93) May 13, 2021 Barton however did not rule out the match entirely as he revealed that the match can go on as scheduled should it be played on a grass surface with the youth being handed a chance.“If they want to play it on grass, I’ll play it but we can’t afford any setbacks at this point because fitness is key,”“If we have to honour the fixture, it may well be a very young team that goes and plays that game, but it certainly won’t be the seniors,” added Barton.
