AFTER the postponement of both the Cheltenham and Carlisle fixtures due to waterlogged pitches Chairman Ben Robinson has issued the following statement.
“Everyone at Burton Albion shares the frustration and disappointment with our supporters that we have been unable to play the last two home games due to waterlogged pitches.
“We have spoken to our pitch consultants who work with our grounds staff and who tell us that the impact of the winter’s weather has finally caught up with the pitch at the Pirelli Stadium, as it has done with a number of playing surfaces throughout the UK.
“As you will all be aware the last two Tuesday night fixtures have been postponed, on both of these occasions we have seen a significant period of rainfall on the afternoon leading up to kick off. For the loss of these fixtures, we offer our sincere apologies.
“Unfortunately, the amount and timing of the rain we have seen over the winter period from early October 2023 until now has massively impacted our pitch aeration, and the availability of a window to carry out these works has been significantly reduced due to periods of heavy rainfall and pitch availability between fixtures.
“This we feel we can now address as we approach spring and are able to catch up with this important programme of works.
“We wanted to take this opportunity to inform all our fans as to the reasons behind this loss of fixtures.
“We know that fans make plans and travel arrangements, and fixture postponements are a frustration and expense, but we hope our supporters understand that our grounds staff tried exceptionally hard to save the fixtures but were unfortunately defeated by the heavy and persistent rainfall.
“We are continuing to work on solutions with our grounds staff and pitch specialists.”