Walsall are hoping the frost covers on the pitch will do their job

Walsall are struggling against the frost to make sure Saturday's League One home game with Brighton goes ahead.

Several tonnes of snow have been removed from the Banks's Stadium pitch and frost covers are now in place in a bid to keep the surface playable.

"We've moved between 11 and 15 tonnes of snow off the pitch," stadium manager Dave Storr told BBC WM.

"I'm very hopeful that the game will go ahead - unless we have more severe frosts and that's not forecast."

We're thawing parts of the pitch and the weather looks like it's going to improve over the next few days Walsall stadium manager Dave Storr

Storr and his team have worked hard on the pitch over the last 24 hours in the wake of the harsh overnight conditions across the West Midlands.

"It's 11,500 square yards and we had between an inch and two inches where it had drifted in some places," he said.

"We left the snow on for a little while as it acts as an insulator for the pitch before putting the covers on. They protect it down to minus three.

"We're thawing parts of the pitch and the weather looks like it's going to improve over the next few days."

Walsall have not played since their Christmas Sunday defeat at Tranmere on 28 December, having suffered a postponement last Saturday at Carlisle.

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