Harrogate Town officials and fans have tried to clear the pitch and stands of snow in a bid for the New Year's Day game with Farsley to beat the freeze.

The loss of Town's home game against Workington on Monday was their third league postponement in a row.

But Town secretary Alan Williams says that removing the snow three days ahead of Friday's game is the best tactic.

"You're in a catch-22. The referees won't play in the snow. It's got to be cleared off," he told BBC Radio York.

"It's like rock is the snow and it's damaging the pitch as we're taking it up, so we need it to thaw.

"What you need, ideally, is 100 people to come down, clear it off and then you can play the match.

"Three or four inches deep under the soil, it's like rock, so the thawing water is not going to run away.

"It is difficult, but we just do our best, and it's in the lap of the gods."

Town can expect a decent crowd to help fill the coffers against a Farsley team based barely 20 miles away in West Leeds.

"Financially it is a problem," said Williams. "We still have wages to pay. Players need paying whether we get any money in or not."

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