Farsley Celtic say Storm Dollar caused delays in pitchwork

The club said Storm Dollar left the pitch with “severe waterlogging” earlier this month, with snowfall also slowing progress.

However, while fans can accept that it is natural for the British winter to cause such problems, the lack of effort on the pitch so far has meant that while we continue to play home games, we are far from returning to the LS28. Of course there will be anger that this is not the case. It takes over 90 minutes to get to Buxton.

The surface of Throttle Nest had been severely worn down by years of bad weather, so the club finally decided to take the plunge and lay an artificial pitch.

Fans were initially told that the club's first four home games in the National League North would be played at a different venue, with hopes of a return to the ground now known as The Citadel by September. was.

Three months have passed since the original “return” date, and frankly the Celts are far from being back.

T&A took exclusive and legal photos with a drone last month. The result revealed an exposed playing surface, rubbish around the ground and a hole in the roof above the stands behind the goals, which had not been repaired since it was destroyed in the summer.

Farsley Celtic pitch, November 12, 2024. The bare ground and trash pressed against the fence are clearly visible. (Image provided by: NQ staff)

Farsley had rescheduled his original dates and was aiming to return in the new year when his contract with Buxton expires, but his hopes of returning to Throsrunnest ended emotionally with the game against Radcliffe on 1 January.

The club have also insisted on social media that they will return to the field at least this season, but at the moment that feels like a long way off.

Farsley issued an apologetic statement on the club's website this week, saying: “A CBR (geotechnical) survey was scheduled for the week commencing 5 December but was interrupted by Storm Dollar and the pitch was in poor condition. It became flooded.

“Engineers visited the site over the weekend when the pitch was well drained and determined that a CBR survey was not necessary as, given the recent weather conditions (heavy snow and flooding), the pitch would require additional works. of the main program.

“This information has already been agreed and approved and they are now off to plan the additional work in terms of price, schedule and additional activities and incorporate it into the work program.

“They recognize the urgency of this situation and have promised to get back to us as soon as possible and will update us when they do.

“Again, all I can do is apologize to everyone involved. We have also suffered greatly on many fronts, but I can assure you that we are doing everything in our power to make this happen as soon as possible.” .

“We do not want to be in this position at all. The sooner this matter is resolved, the better for everyone involved. And once it is resolved, the club's long-term future will be secured. I guess.”