Shaymen To Play At Spotland This Weekend

FC HALIFAX have become the latest Non-League club to be uprooted from their home as on-going pitch problems force them to take up a temporary groundshare.

Following Blue Square Bet Premier Gateshead‘s move to Hartlepool United, the Shaymen have hired Rochdale‘s Spotland Stadium for Saturday’s Blue Square Bet North home clash with Stalybridge Celtic.

Torrid winter weather has wreaked havoc upon the Shay’s pitch, leaving the Yorkshire club with a staggering nine games in hand of runaway leaders Chester.

Town moved into the play-off places on Tuesday night with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at in-form Gloucester City. First-half goals from Liam Needham and Gareth Seddon sealed a priceless victory for the promotion contenders.

But with two Halifax Rugby League fixtures scheduled on the ground before Saturday’s BSBN clash, the board simply cannot guarantee the pitch will be in suitable condition.

In a statement, Halifax explained: “We recognise that the Shay Stadium pitch is in a very dire state, with mud, sand, loose matter making the surface treacherous after the recent weather and requiring recovery time.

“This decision has not been taken lightly and not without a great deal of consideration for our supporters but we are desperate to avoid any possibility of yet another postponement, particularly with our severe backlog of fixtures.”

DAVID LEE