SAM Allardyce believes lives would have been put at risk if last night’s Carling Cup semi-final had been given the go-ahead – and insists growing fixture congestion will not stop his pursuit of major silverware.

Last night’s semi-final first leg tie with Aston Villa was postponed on safety reasons yesterday morning after discussions between the club, police and the licensing agency, leaving Blackburn Rovers facing fixture chaos with the tie rearranged, possibly for next week.

With their next Premier League game at Manchester City on Monday, the following weekend’s visit of Fulham could be put back to the Sunday, kick off 3pm, giving Rovers the daunting prospect of playing five games in 12 days.

Allardyce though, who was one of many in the North West left snowed in yesterday morning, has backed the early postponement and insists reaching Wembley remains his priority despite an increasingly congested January.

He said: “Nothing changes as far as I am concerned.

"From the moment we knew the game was in danger, we were talking to the relevant parties about a plan for the replay and there will be no problem.

“The Carling Cup remains more important than the Premier League for us at this stage.

"The prospect of reaching a major cup final has to be our priority.

“That hasn’t changed just because the game was postponed.

"We still have a marvellous opportunity of getting to Wembley Stadium and we will do everything we can to achieve that.”

Talks about a potential postponement started as early as Monday afternoon as blizzard-like conditions and icy roads and pavements left the area around Ewood Park treacherous.

Heavy snowfall over night only worsened the situation and, with players and fans alike facing an almost impossible journey to the ground, prompt action was taken to prevent any needless journeys.

Allardyce said: “I haven’t seen it like this for a very, very long time.

"The decision to postpone the game was nothing to do with football, it was taken for the safety of those travelling to the game.

“With the roads they way they are, there was no way anyone was going to put lives at risk by letting the game go-ahead and expecting supporters to travel through the treacherous conditions and then try and get home again.

“Having 5,000 fans travelling up the motorway and then going home in minus eight temperatures would have been absolutely ludicrous.”

Match tickets for the rearranged clash will be valid, but fans who have purchased tickets and are unable to attend can obtain a refund via the ticket office.