Work starts on the 2018/19 pitch
It’s just three days after the 2017/18 season drew to a close but the pitch renovations are well underway for next season.
On Tuesday, work began to get the pitch ready for next season, but with the Lionel Richie concert just two weeks away the ground staff have decided to wait before undertaking the full renovation.
“We literally just stripped the vegetation off the pitch yesterday, used a special machine that planes off the grass, took two passes off, so we are back down to bare root zone”, explained Dave.
“Unfortunately, with the time we’ve got now, with the concert coming up, I’m reluctant to turn it over and reseed it at this stage because the new seed would only just be coming through when they are coming to cover it.
“Given the problems we had last year with the concert I’d rather wait until afterwards and then de-compact it, cultivate it, re-grade it, get the levels right and seed it.
“Although we’ve got a very short time span, about four-and-a-half weeks, to grow it and start establishing it before the first home pre-season friendly on the 21st July, I would rather it was that way and at that time of year the grass will continue to grow and establish.
“So, we will try and minimise damage for the two pre-season games and hopefully by the time the season kicks-off the pitch will be going in the right direction.”