BBC Sportfootball

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Related BBC sites

Page last updated at 08:19 GMT, Wednesday, 2 September 2009 09:19 UK

Terriers to complain about pitch

Lee Clark
Clark feared for his players' safety on the Don Valley Stadium pitch

Huddersfield Town will become the second team to make a complaint about the Rotherham pitch following Tuesday's Johnstone's Paint Trophy victory.

The Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield played host to a U2 concert last month, leaving Rochdale and now Town unhappy.

Terriers manager Lee Clark told BBC Radio Leeds: "Professional football shouldn't be played on that pitch.

"It was worse than a park pitch and I'm glad we've won the game because I can say that now."

"If I had been on the receiving end of a defeat it would have been difficult for me to talk about it," he continued.

Professional football shouldn't be like that - it shouldn't be played on that type of surface

Lee Clark

"I went in to see the referee an hour before the kick-off to tell him my concerns and we will be putting our disappointment down in written form.

"That's not having a go at the people at Rotherham United - it's the situation with the stadium."

The Don Valley Stadium hosted rock group U2 on 20 August - two days afterwards Rochdale complained of finding glass and nails on the pitch prior to their League Two game against the Millers there.

Responding to those claims, Rotherham United's chief operating officer Paul Douglas said at the time: "The pitch was deemed playable by the referee and he was happy for the game to go-ahead."

But 10 days after the concert, Clark felt the pitch was still not up to playing professional football on.

"It was so uneven and it's very easy to twist ankles, slip over and cause injuries.

"Professional football shouldn't be like that - it shouldn't be played on that type of surface but we've handled it well and got through the tie."



Print Sponsor


see also
Rotherham 1-2 Huddersfield
01 Sep 09 |  Football
Rochdale eye Don Valley complaint
24 Aug 09 |  Rochdale


related bbc links:

related internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites