Frost foils Athletic’s big effort

ATHLETIC mounted a military-style operation costing over £1,000 yet still failed to beat the freeze as Saturday’s Coca-Cola League One fixture against Hartlepool United was postponed.

Referee Carl Boyeson ruled the Boundary Park pitch unplayable after a mid-morning inspection on Saturday, little over four hours before the scheduled kick off time.

Yet the previous afternoon Boyeson had travelled over from his home in Hull and ruled the ground was playable.

“Had the game kicked off at 3pm on Friday it would have been played,” explained Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy as the thaw continued and hired heaters were used on the worst-affected areas.

Covers were placed over the entire playing surface late on Friday afternoon and Athletic remained confident the game would beat the freeze with overnight temperatures forecast at minus three degrees.

Athletic groundsman Tony Owen and press officer Stu Vose remained at Boundary Park throughout the night and made hourly checks to ensure the sheets were still in place.

However, it soon became obvious temperatures were plummeting well below what was forecast to minus seven degrees.

And the frost penetrated the sheets, even in places where they had been placed three layers thick.

“It started freezing at 5pm on Friday and as it was for such a prolonged period the covers were unable to keep out the frost,” said Mr Hardy.

When the covers were removed on Saturday morning by an army of 20 volunteers - Athletic had put out an appeal for helpers on Friday - it soon became clear that the pitch was frozen.

Andy by the time Boyeson arrived to make his final check, the postponement was a formality.

Mr Hardy was disappointed that the club’s efforts had proved in vain, but thanked the groundstaff and helpers for the work they had put in.