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Plymouth Argyle v Derby County

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CumbrianRam

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GROUNDSMAN Colin Wheatcroft is cautiously optimistic Plymouth Argyle's home Championship clash with Derby County on Tuesday will go-ahead as planned.

It follows the postponement of the Pilgrims' rearranged home game against Barnsley today because of a waterlogged pitch.

The damage caused during the muddy encounter with Crystal Palace last Saturday, combined with further heavy rainfall this week, proved too much to overcome

But drier weather is forecast between now and Tuesday, so the visit of Derby should be unaffected.

Wheatcroft said: "All my staff will be here for the entire weekend and we will do our utmost to get the game on. I think we will manage that."

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Devonport-based Football League assistant referee Lee Swabey carried out a pitch inspection yesterday afternoon.

And it was clear for all to see that after heavy rain on Thursday night the playing surface would not recover in time for the game against Barnsley to be played.

Argyle head coach Paul Mariner said: "We are gutted the game has been called off.

"Colin has worked through immensely difficult conditions all week. I have just been out on the pitch and it's simply impossible for a game of football to be played."

The game against Barnsley had to be rearranged after the first meeting between the two teams on November 28 was abandoned in the second half because of a waterlogged pitch. The Tykes were leading 4-1 at the time.

Today's postponement has further highlighted the need for Argyle to replace the ageing pitch at Home Park, which is now clearly past its sell-by date.

It will cost around £400,000 to do so, but the Football League will take a dim view should games continue to fall victim to wet or icy weather.

Wheatcroft explained, in detail, how the game against Barnsley ended up being postponed, and the difficulties he and his small team of staff had faced.

He said: "The process is that if I'm concerned I go in and tell the football secretary, Carole Rowntree.

"Carole then phoned the Football League to request a referee to come in and have a look at the pitch.

"Fortunately, Lee Swabey, the scheduled fourth official tomorrow, was able to come down and carry out an inspection.

"He has been here on a number of occasions before and said 'I have never seen it as bad as this' and then reported back to the Football League, who decided the game was not playable.

"The whole of November we were pulling sheets across the pitch to keep the water off.

"We then had the frost in December, so I have had frost covering and rain sheets on at the same time. For weeks and weeks, this pitch has been covered.

"This process has actually rotted the roots and the grass, leaving a silt layer just under the surface.

"As soon as the rain hits the ground, this layer disintegrates and becomes very mushy."

The centre of the Home Park pitch was particularly badly damaged after the game against Crystal Palace.

Wheatcroft said: "It took us two days get all the divots remedied and grass back on top.

"We couldn't get the protective rain covers on the pitch because the soil was too wet, and we use a tractor to pull the sheets over as they are about three tonnes each.

"It was a combination of the pitch being in a terrible condition from the Crystal Palace game and then a deluge of rain on Tuesday night.

"There was standing water all over the pitch.

"We still couldn't get any machinery on the pitch and I usually verti-drain between games, which is a machine that punches holes into the ground.

"It's a very heavy machine attached to a tractor.

"I do that between every game, but I was unable to do it this time. We actually tried to get the tractor on the pitch but it sunk into the side, and it soon became stuck.

"On Wednesday we worked hard and did a lot of forking in the worst areas, but we were still unable to pull the sheets over and do any verti-draining because of the conditions."

Further heavy rain on Thursday night put paid to the game against Barnsley going ahead as planned.

Wheatcroft said: "We had around 30ml of rain, which basically finished us off.

"It was a hopeless situation. The water is actually coming up our fork-holes as we go down into the soil.

"Even though we have a dry forecast overnight there is no way the pitch would have enough time to sufficiently dry out to play a game. It would have been too dangerous."

The Barnsley squad had not set off for Plymouth before today's scheduled game was postponed.

No new date has been arranged for their next attempt to play Argyle at Home Park.

However, the Pilgrims already have six Tuesday night matches lined up between now and the end of March.

The only available dates during that period are February 2 – which is almost certainly too soon to arrange, February 23, March 2 and March 30.

Argyle executive director Keith Todd said: "We are extremely disappointed that today's game with Barnsley has been called off.

"Colin Wheatcroft and his team have worked tirelessly to repair the damage from last weekend's match with Crystal Palace.

"Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the Football League have decided the pitch is not safe for play."

Officials at Barnsley declined to comment on the postponement of today's game when contacted by Herald Sport yesterday.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/argyle/ARGYLE-HOPEFUL-DERBY-GAME/article-1747798-detail/article.html

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