Steve wrote:Wasn't the Lewes game a couple of years ago called off due to a waterlogged pitch. Think that was even later than this fixture in the season.
Don't know Steve, if so you have a better memory than me, which doesn't come as a surprise.
Maybe it was a sign that things were starting to 'clogg' up.. ;)
Just spent 20 mins looking through the archives, and I'm wrong :roll: - frozen pitch.
Hey Steve, it takes a real bloke to admit they were wrong - good on yer.. ;)
Dukes wrote:..... and the excellent drainage system put in during the Griggs days is beginning to clogg up (no pun intended on the clogg word)..!
That is probably the main reason. The land drainage pipes would be perforated clay or plastic pipes and they, I suspect, have filled with silt and are not dispersing the water as quick as they did when first laid.
Dukes wrote:
Can only think, as Dazzler has suggested, that hard times over the last few years has resulted in a lack of end of season maintenance and the excellent drainage system put in during the Griggs days is beginning to clogg up (no pun intended on the clogg word)..!
Good point well made. The waters always been there but the drainage system coped in the past. I expect (like me! ) it's old, knackered & forgetful :lol: ;)
I remember some years ago the pitch was completely ripped up to remove a black sludge that was preventing the grass from growing as well as it could from a layer underneath, perhaps that's built up again?
Am I missing something here ? Have we declared that our next five league games are postponed already - or have we just had our first game ever called off due to weather that put paid to 20 or more games locally ?
Do people expect Gary Calder to ring up the Met Office and get them to route the band of heavy rain away from East Northants / Bedfordshire - I see that the Posh game was in serious doubt, and was blamed for the poor quality of football on show at London Road.
BartonRaz's beloved Cobblers have had plenty of games postponed / abandoned at Sixfields in recent seasons for the same reasons, yet their fans don't think their pitch is being treated worse than a local park pitch - they've even had a couple abandoned due to the rain - MK Dons and Millwall games spring to mind.
Those of you that are around after the final whistle goes will have seen our groundstaff working on the pitch even before the players have warmed down - but some people seem to be accusing them of negligence !
It was obviously a sensible idea to get a local ref in to do an early inspection so the Bath team / fans could avoid at least some of their journey - if not stop them travelling all together. It's different to a frozen pitch where it can be clearer overnight there might be an issue, so an even earlier inspection can be arranged. Those of us that have got as far as Leatherhead / Macclesfield / Kidderminster or Salisbury have seen how annoying it is to travel the whole way only to find the game is called off due to wet weather at the "last minute".
Last edited by Formic on Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:06 am, edited 3 times in total.
