Quote: Brew "Many many years ago there was a terrible patch of the pitch in front of the skircoat, worst than the rest of it and it used to be sheeted seperately to try and protect the area, this was put down to the clay foundations for the speedway track and the pitch having been moved across that way. That was dug out one summer if memory serves correct.
One story that has been around so long it may well be an urban myth is when the East Stand was finally completed, some drainage channels were filled with concrete (probably not on purpose) and the issues have perpetuated ever since.
It appears it is purely a drainage issue as even moderate rainfall can cause issues, a sudden deluge and bigger problems present, anyone remember the game a few years ago that was delayed about 45 minutes due to the south east corner of the ground suddenly been under water following a thunderstorm? I think there was photos of Ed Barber helping brush the water away.
Until the drainage issues are sorted relaying any sort of pitch isn't going to fix things. A hybrid pitch like Siddal's requires good drainage, and even they have had problems with a drain collapsing within a year, and some tears in the hybrid surface.'"
The delayed match was against Widnes i think. We had to have an extra pint in't København arcade waiting for the downpour to abate.
