FOOTBALL
You tell yourself, and each other, that it’s only for a few more weeks and the sun will return, growth will resume and recovery will follow
” Cold December
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. The Beast from the East compounded our problems at both clubs, we were having to put frost protection down for training at both the stadium and the training ground at Shrewsbury, but with temperatures dropping to minus 15O
C, in addition to a strong wind
and wind chill, covers were difficult to secure properly, and the ground started to freeze in places. We lost two games in a week after pitch inspections deemed the surface unplayable. It perhaps didn’t help that the team were doing well in both the league and the cup competitions, so we were trying to host far more games than we would normally.
Rain and more rain
With an unhappy manager and assistant manager, directing their criticism first at us and then the chairman, it allowed us to push for some more funding
” Keeping training ground alive - just 82 PC October/November 2018
There comes a point where you wonder when it’s all going to end, the frustration of not being in control is perhaps the worst fear of being a groundsman, but as you battle the elements, you tell yourself, and each other, that it’s only for a few more weeks and the
sun will return, growth will resume and recovery will follow. In February, we had the Beast from the East part 2, with more cold fronts from Siberia and, as we entered March, the cold temperatures remained and the grass stayed dormant. All the while, criticism increased about the state of the pitches, both at the stadium and training ground, like we could just wave a magic wand and fix everything. Perhaps it was a good thing that, for the first year the training ground was in use, we should have the winter from hell to highlight the underlying issues. With an unhappy manager and assistant manager, directing their criticism first at us and then the chairman, it allowed us to push for some more funding and it was agreed to install gravel bands and pop-up irrigation during the renovation period.
The club also wanted to host another concert at the stadium in June, so there was much to plan for the end of season. To add to this, the team’s fortunes
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