After Swindon's League One clash at Northampton was called off Tuesday morning because of the heavy snow which has swept the country, their home fixture against Southend this weekend is also already in doubt.
So head groundsman Marcus Cassidy has managed to obtain covers for the County Ground pitch, which are normally used on racecourses, and staff at SN1 are doing everything possible to ensure the game against the Shrimpers goes ahead.
Cassidy admitted: "We felt it was important to get the extra covers in. Half of the pitch doesn't usually get any cover with the shade in front of the Don Rogers Stand, so we hired in a whole set of covers which had been used at Sandown racecourse. This means the entire pitch is now covered up, with some areas even doubled over. At the moment the pitch isn't actually frozen, so hopefully by being pro-active we have avoided any potential problems. We now hope the forecast improves and that the temperatures aren't as bad as predicted on Friday."
Meanwhile, Robins boss Danny Wilson refused to be too downbeat after yesterday's match at Northampton was called off.
An 11am pitch inspection at Sixfields deemed the surface playable, but health and safety issues over access to the stadium led to its postponement. Snow and ice covered roads, paths, steps and car parks all around the Cobblers' ground, and Wilson admitted he has already begun preparations for when Southend come to town on Saturday.
Wilson said: "It's disappointing because we can't seem to get a run of games at this moment in time. Having the game on would have given us a chance to build on the last two results. The news is especially disappointing given that the pitch was playable and it was the surrounding areas that have held the game up, but we appreciate those reasons. The boys have been training this afternoon. They reported here for the game so we quickly turned things around and got a training session organised because we needed to do some work with them. Our focus now turns to Saturday against Southend United and we are hopeful of getting a good result."
(Article edited from Anthony Marshall, Swindon Evening Advertiser, Wednesday February 4, 2009.)