Rainfall that is! Much work has been done over the last few weeks that will not be evident come 21 July to improve the drainage round the Nethermoor pitch, and judging by the state of the surface earlier today it is already paying dividends. Moving the pitch over towards the Ings Lane side of the ground has allowed for the replacement of the drain that runs the length of that side, while the provision of Astroturf down the touchline will benefit the referees’ assistants come the winter.
The gap between the fence and the touchline will also be increased to provide more space for the player run-offs and the original fence – which was approaching antique status – is being replaced by a barrier that matches the steelwork at the Railway End. In addition, a new drain has been installed at the Car Park End and the pitch barrier is being moved forward to improve spectator comfort by providing more room behind the goal.
Several other projects are at the planning stage, with the aim of bringing the capacity at Nethermoor up to approximately 4,000; more details will be released once the go-ahead has been given.
Who’d have thought that drains could be so interesting?