Paul Simpson said he was gutted for the 500+ Carlisle United supporters who travelled to Burton only for the game to be called off just over an hour before kick-off.
A waterlogged pitch at the Pirelli Stadium put paid to Tuesday night's game following a period of heavy rain.
The decision was made after an extensive inspection by the officials.
Areas of the pitch were causing concern and at 6.40pm it was announced that the game was off.
United manager Simpson said the first he was aware of the potential problems was when members of the backroom staff arrived at the ground to start setting up.
“The kit men came earlier to set up and they sent me a little video. We didn't tell the players about it. I've got to say, when I saw that, I thought, ‘We've got a problem’,” said Simpson.
“It wasn’t looking good. And then I got here and when you walked on it…it's not good.
- LIVE BLOG: Blues postponement as it happened and League One live
- Carlisle United's game at Burton called off an hour before kick-off
“Listen, I've played on worse pitches, I can assure you, but we have to respect the decision. There's nothing we can do.
“Player safety is really important. I'm disappointed for us. But I'm so disappointed for the supporters who made the journey down here.
“I’m gutted for them. They’ve done some miles this season and now they’ve done [this trip] and it’s been pointless.”
United arrived at Burton to find a section of the pitch near the main stand side was covered by tarpaulins.
Groundstaff with rollers were working on other areas of the playing surface.
Referee Craig Hicks and fellow officials were then joined by Simpson and his Burton counterpart Martin Paterson as efforts were made to determine the pitch’s playability.
But with the rain refusing to abate and the ball failing to roll or bounce sufficiently in certain parts of the pitch, a decision was confirmed to shelve the game.
Carlisle players and club officials, including owners Tom, Patty and Jenna Piatak and Nick DeMasi, watched on from pitchside and the main stand as the inspection went on.
“It’s never an easy decision to call a game off but unfortunately I have to say it’s the best decision,” added Simpson.
“The far side is bad, the middle of the pitch is probably ok, but when you look at this near side [on the main stand side] it’s even worse.
“If it had stopped raining you’d probably say you would have had a chance, but we can’t control the weather.
Simpson said Burton boss Paterson had told him that their pitch has been diseased, “and they’ve compacted it to try and help it.
“It just means the water has nowhere to go.
“It's just one of those things and it’s out of our control.”
Simpson said he had planned to make changes to his team for the game, while he reported no injury issues from United’s previous outing against Portsmouth on Saturday.
“We’ll just have to take it on the chin, get home and get ourselves prepared for Saturday [at home to Cambridge United] knowing we’ve got to come back here another night,” added the manager.
Burton boss Paterson also commented on the postponement to his club’s official channels.
He said: “It’s obviously disappointing to not get the game on especially on the back of a good solid win on Saturday but if you look at it now, the corner areas and sidelines, it is unsafe and player safety ultimately overrules everything else.
“We are disappointed for the fans but there is nothing we can do.”
A date for the rearranged fixture will be announced in due course, United added.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here