Die-hard Stafford Rangers fans answered an SOS today in a desperate bid to drain the club’s waterlogged pitch.

Although Rangers were able to play away against Burton Albion last week, the Boxing Day match against Northwich Victoria had to be called off due to the state of the Marston Road ground. The game was abandoned after 49 minutes due to waterlogging.

Stafford Rangers launched an urgent appeal for help in the Express & Star yesterday asking volunteers to come forward to help rescue the sodden pitch in a bid to salvage the clash against Stevenage Borough tomorrow.

Club directors joined ground staff and fans to dig the pitch and lay sand.

Picture: Volunteer Eddie Roberton prepares the Stafford Rangers pitch following heavy rain with Alan Shelley, Dave Montgomery, Colin Allsop, Cliff Went, Hollie Bates and Pete Johnson at Marston Road.

Read the full story in the Express & Star 

 Die-hard Stafford Rangers fans answered an SOS today in a desperate bid to drain the club’s waterlogged pitch.

Although Rangers were able to play away against Burton Albion last week, the Boxing Day match against Northwich Victoria had to be called off due to the state of the Marston Road ground. The game was abandoned after 49 minutes due to waterlogging.

Stafford Rangers launched an urgent appeal for help in the Express & Star yesterday asking volunteers to come forward to help rescue the sodden pitch in a bid to salvage the clash against Stevenage Borough tomorrow.

Rangers have fallen into the lower half of the Nationwide Conference where they lie at 15th, due to postponed fixtures and club directors joined ground staff to dig the pitch and lay sand.

Directors Cliff Went and Dave Montgomery got their hands dirty along with the seven volunteer ground staff and supporters who turned out, armed with garden forks, at 9am today.

Mr Went said: “If it will just stop raining for two or three hours then we should be OK. When the rain stops it dries out pretty quickly.

“What we have been doing this morning is lightening the soil with the forks to help the rain to drain through.

“We are only going down two to three inches, but hope this will be enough. When you consider that even the big clubs have to call off matches when the pitch gets too wet, what chance do we have?

“We don’t have any sophisticated drainage systems or anything like that – we don’t have the resources.

“We don’t even have any staff here at the club, all are volunteers, which is why David Montgomery and myself are helping out.”

After the pitch was forked, a lorry of sand arrived to be spread, by hand, over the grass.

Mr Went said: “We have tried using machinery, but it is just cutting up the pitch, so we will do it ourselves, by hand.”

Kick-off at Marston Road is scheduled for 3pm tomorrow and the rearranged fixture at Cambridge United, postponed twice due to cup fixtures and fog, will be played on January 13.

Picture: Volunteer Eddie Roberton prepares the Stafford Rangers pitch following heavy rain with Alan Shelley, Dave Montgomery, Colin Allsop, Cliff Went, Hollie Bates and Pete Johnson at Marston Road.

By Sally Walmsley