Lincoln City's game at Eastleigh in the Conference, the fifth tier of English football, was called off after a fire at the Hilton Southampton prevented their players from collecting their boots and shinpads.
The bizarre episode forced Lincoln to post a message on their Twitter account: "Can only apologise to fans who have travelled but all in hands of fire brigade. All players' boots etc in rooms which we can't enter."
A club statement from Eastleigh explained how 55 firefighters from eight stations were needed to tackle the fire which was thought to have started in the sauna.
Most of Lincoln's kit was already at Eastleigh's ground but the fire meant club officials could not recover items like boots, shinpads, goalkeeping gear and physiotherapists' medical equipment from the hotel.
After an hour's delay, it was agreed the game should be postponed.
"It's not just a case of popping down to the nearest sports shop and buying a pair of boots," Lincoln general manager John Vickers said in a BBC radio interview.
"We're a professional football club and we've got to prepare professionally."
(Writing by Ian Chadband, editing by Ed Osmond)
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