FOOTBALL Whatever we do at


renovation, we’ve still basically got garden sprinklers to try to irrigate the pitch, so that’s very time-consuming if we don’t get the rain. We do it, and do it well. But, it’s hard work


”


what it was like before. If you were a punter, you wouldn’t have been thrilled to sit here for your drink. But now, you look and think, ‘it’s flippin’ nice, this’.”


The revamp of the bar and restaurant was not started until around June but, when I arrived in early September, the whole complex had been redone. They hope, therefore, that the pitch will be completed within a couple of months [at time of writing, in early September]: Liam said: “There isn’t a pitch construction, as such.”


“But, they’ll likely be replacing the turf, the drainage, the irrigation, and having it levelled off. We don’t know about the seeding just yet, but it won’t be long until the decision is made. They’re talking about including 800 tonnes of sand.” And David, 59, added: “It’s been like this as long as I can remember coming here, and longer; maybe fifty or sixty years. We’ve just introduced a lot of sand last year, but that’s the major change.”


“It drains reasonably well, but it is just the


With the U23s and the Ladies playing here, there are going to be a lot of games. We have weeks coming up when there might be games on


”


Saturday, Sunday, Monday, then possibly even Tuesday


76 PC October/November 2018


natural turf from when the pitch was originally set up. There are three main drains down: penalty boxes; halfway line; and at the main stand end.” “Two small drains were put in at that end because it was a problem corner. The way we get shut of water is a bit ancient; some improvised drainage, and one goes to another.” “If it’s wet on here, other places will have bigger problems. We’re by the beach, maybe about a mile away, and the lower levels are heavily sand-based anyway.” Andrew Church of Lancashire Turf Supplies aids with tools such as verti- draining etc., which the team say they undertake regularly. “Andrew has a lot of history with the club


too. His great-uncle was the Chairman here back in the club’s Football League days, so we work closely with him.”


“If this pitch goes in, and we’ve got both the new drains and a new irrigation system, that will be huge for us, as the new facilities have been massive for the fans.”


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