FOOTBALL


expecting surfaces to be like Wembley, given that the club had invested money into the drainage. To recap, the Sundorne training facility is on the River Severn flood plain and the soil, when analysed, showed the fines (silt and clay and very fine sands) at 80%. We had installed piped drains at 5m centres over an area of 15,000 square metres, half the training ground area. Imported and cultivated in 2400 tonnes of sand and sandy rootzone and then graded to existing levels. The sand slitting was the final operation included within the relatively small budget that was agreed with the chairman at the time. Nonetheless, there was a regular criticism that the surfaces were


not being maintained properly and we could do more. Whatever explanation was offered, it didn’t seem to matter, even when we vertidrained, water just sat in the holes and wasn’t going anywhere. The ground was so soft that we often stayed off altogether with machinery, but again left ourselves open to abuse. With the training ground ‘not fit for purpose’ on occasions and, as importantly, no other local venues suitably dry, we offered the training pitch behind the stadium and indeed the stadium itself as options for the squad. However, the weather continued to try us, and I remember waking up to a heavy frost one morning, driving to the stadium in torrential rain, only for the squad to come out and train for an hour and a half through


the middle of the pitch. We had around seven training sessions in January at the stadium, and we were losing grass quickly. As the pitch struggled with games, training and the weather that seemed to either be raining or snowing and temperatures were sub-zero.


Given the rapid loss of cover, we overseeded the pitch with a dwarf perennial rye mix, in the hope that spring would start early, as it had in 2017. At Oldham, despite the pitch holding up far better than it had in recent years, and despite the record amounts of rainfall (even for Oldham), the criticisms


”


The criticisms and derogatory comments aimed at the groundstaff on the supporter forums was vile. I did expect the club to make a public statement, but this was not forthcoming


” PC October/November 2018 81


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