Watford and Wigan Athletic will have to replay this match after heavy rain made play impossible 11 minutes into the second half with the sides tied at 1-1.
With players unable to keep their balance or judge their passes, referee Steve Tanner sent them to the dressing rooms in the 56th minute, and the match was officially abandoned at 4:32pm.
During the play that was possible, Emile Heskey had given Wigan the lead in the 23rd minute, with Tamas Priskin heading the equaliser - his first goal for the Hornets - a minute before half-time.
But those statistics are almost certain to be erased as the clubs seek a new date for the fixture in 2007.
The outcome does little to aid Watford's fight against relegation, as they began the day nine points adrift of safety in the Barclays Premiership.
Wigan boss Paul Jewell made four changes to his starting line-up, with skipper Arjan de Zeeuw, Denny Landzaat, David Cotterill and Josip Skoko all returning.
For Watford, Priskin made his first Barclays Premiership start of the season in place of the injured Hameur Bouazza.
Watford believe luck has deserted them this season, and fortune worked against them once more in the 10th minute.
The Hornets won a free-kick 22 yards from goal after Emmerson Boyce had handled the ball, and Ashley Young's curling effort beat Chris Kirkland's dive but bounced back off the left post.
When Anthony McNamee turned the loose ball back into the danger zone, Jay DeMerit struck it goalwards - only to see it rebound off team-mate Priskin.
Priskin himself wasted a good chance in the 13th minute, showing neat footwork to beat Leighton Baines on the right before guiding a tame effort well wide of Kirkland's right post.
As has happened so often this term, Watford were punished for failing to take their chances.
In the 23rd minute, Kevin Kilbane crossed from the left, and Heskey held off Dan Shittu too easily before turning and firing low into the bottom right corner from 12 yards.
The goal gave Wigan confidence, and they began to pass the ball with greater belief and precision.
In the 34th minute, Ben Foster pushed away a powerful low 30-yard shot from Heskey before clutching the ball at the second attempt.
Three minutes later, Watford had DeMerit to thank for an excellent sliding tackle on Baines after Cotterill's perceptive pass had found the overlapping left-back inside the Watford penalty area.
Wigan thought momentarily they had doubled their lead in the 40th minute when Landzaat steered Svetoslav Todorov's left-wing cross past Foster from six yards, but the Dutchman was denied by the offside flag.
Against the run of play, Watford found the equaliser in the 44th minute, Priskin's header from Gavin Mahon's left-wing cross just beating Kirkland's dive.
The rain, which had persisted throughout the first half, began to fall considerably harder at the start of the second half, making it extremely difficult for the players to keep their balance or judge their passes.
In the 47th minute, Todorov fell inside the box under pressure from Gavin Mahon, but referee Tanner was not convinced and showed the Bulgarian the yellow card.
The conditions made sliding tackles almost impossible to time correctly, as Mahon discovered in the 50th minute when he felled Cotterill 25 yards from goal, but Baines fired wide.
Wigan manager Jewell and Watford boss Boothroyd both spoke to fourth official Graham Poll early in the second half - with Jewell also remonstrating with Tanner - as the pitch slowly turned into a mud bath.
It was not the weather for back-passes as Shittu almost discovered in the 55th minute when he forced his goalkeeper Foster into a hurried clearance as Todorov bore down on the loose ball.
In the 56th minute, Tanner decided enough was enough and sent the players to the dressing rooms for an initial 10 minutes, with the match eventually called off shortly afterwards.
During the interval, both Jewell and Boothroyd had stepped onto the pitch, with Jewell kicking the ball towards the Watford goal to demonstrate the farcical nature of the conditions.
Boothroyd went one better, throwing the ball in the air, only to see it land in a muddy patch without bouncing, before shooting it into the empty goal - much to the delight of the Watford fans.
The stadium announcer sent the fans home by revealing the match had been called off because of ‘the state of the pitch and concerns for the players' safety’.
