(Photo: Action Images via Reuters)
By Adam Ellis
Eastleigh chief executive Mark Jewell has admitted the club may have to dig up a problematic area of their pitch at their Silverlake Stadium home.
The Spitfires had their National League fixture against Chester postponed two hours before kick-off on Saturday due to an issue with drainage.
Emergency work was arranged with the firm who recently undertook the fixing of a new drainage system over the summer and Jewell has now said measures might need to be taken which could affect their fixture list.
“We’ll be having experts in to look at the wider area to see what remedial work we can do,” Jewell told BBC Radio Solent.
“We’ve tried to solve this problem without having to dig the pitch up – which obviously has an affect on fixtures – but we may have to do that now, depending on how the consultation goes and what the view is on the best way forward.”
Eastleigh confirmed fans who had tickets to watch the match can either seek a refund or hold onto their tickets and watch the match at its re-arranged date.
A club statement posted on Saturday explained: “Upon arriving at the ground today, the match officials have taken the view that player safety was at risk and decided to postpone the game.
“Ground staff had covered the small affected area over night to protect the surface from any rainfall which was forecast. However, the problem with this area of the pitch is not a surface water issue but a sub-soil drainage problem. Additional drainage has been installed in the affected area over the past week.
