Terryland washout

Date Published: {J}

KEITH KELLY

A WEEK after some strong criticism that a game was allowed to go ahead on the pitch in Terryland Park, the elements seized control on Friday which resulted in the postponement of Galway United’s game with Dundalk.

The severe winter took its toll on the Terryland surface, which remained frozen for days on end, and with no growth in the past number of months, the pitch has suffered badly.

The panellists on Airtricity League highlights show, Monday Night Soccer, let fire with both barrels last Monday after the Shamrock Rovers game, suggesting it should never have gone ahead on such a surface.

The rain and hail took care of that last Friday.

The Terryland Park groundstaff had worked tirelessly on the pitch all week, even covering parts of it to protect it from the rain mid-week, but heavy showers in Galway on Friday afternoon, including a hail storm, meant there was some surface water on the pitch as kick-off approached.

Rollers were used an hour before kick-off to remove the surface water, and a number of United volunteers used pitchforks to try and get some drainage, but a heavy downpour of rain and hail 20 minutes before kick-off saw a return of surface water.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.