Volunteers tending to God's garden

By David Watters

A small army of volunteers is expected to be helping Ashton United on Friday to get their ground ready for EVO-STIK League action this weekend.

The Robins sent out an appeal on Thursday night for fans to help their hard-pressed groundsman Andy Finnigan with Halesowen Town arriving at Hurst Cross on Saturday in the EVO-STIK League's top flight.

In a statement on their website, the club said no substantial work has been done on the surface since the onset of the snow and ice of the last two weeks, pictured. Officials said Finnigan had even been unable to use his tractor and roller as the pitch had been left too soft after the thaw in recent days and wasn't expecting to be able to until Saturday morning .

If temperatures drop again overnight Friday, they are also hoping volunteers will turn out again on Saturday morning from 9.30am onwards to ensure the terracing is free of snow and ice.

The Robins said: "As you all know we have been plagued with more bad weather this last two weeks and very little work has been able to be done on the pitch at Hurst Cross. Even the divots haven't been put back from the last match, that’s how bad the weather has been.

"Our ground staff haven't been able to access the field, without causing further damage.'Gods Garden' doesn't look in such good condition without a lot of work and tender loving care from our volunteers but even they get overwhelmed sometimes. We need help over the next couple of days urgently! Can you help us out?"

The club added: "We will assess the weather on Friday to see if there is a need to put sheets on the pitch in front of the main stand in case it freezes over night. We so much want to get this game played on Saturday. With your help we can!"

Images courtesy of @AshtonUnitedFC/Twitter

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