Groundsman hard at work to get pitch in pristine condition ahead of new season.
Groundsman Michael Merriman gave the One Call Stadium playing surface it’s first cut ahead of the 2015/16 campaign earlier this morning.
The pitch (pictured) is currently two weeks old, and recently underwent essential work to make sure that it’s in pristine condition ahead of our first pre-season friendly against Milton Keynes Dons on Tuesday 21 July (7.45pm).
Speaking to www.mansfieldtown.net, Merriman said: “The pitch is coming along fine at the minute. There are a few little areas [that need work], but that is to be expected. It’s only 14 days old and we’ve fed it again today with 10 bags of fertiliser along with plenty of water.
“We’ve had a bit more work done this year as we’ve had some sand bands put in, which will hopefully help the drainage. Nothing is guaranteed as it depends on what winter you get, but every little helps.”
Explaining the process of the recent renovations, he continued: “I’d like to say a big thank you to Lightwood Sports, who carried out the work.
“Basically, we put 150 tonnes of pure sand into a machine that slices the ground, drops the sand in the slits about five or six inches deep. We hope that the water goes down the slits and takes it off the surface to give us a true top finish.”
We’ll have more photos of how the pitch is progressing throughout the close-season on our website, Twitter feed, and Facebook page.