Yorkshire clubs hit hard as cold snap continues

THE Arctic weather has bitten hard into tomorrow's Football League programme.

However, some Yorkshire clubs are optimistic they can buck the trend and play on despite the ice and snow.

Leeds United are confident their Championship match against Crystal Palace will go ahead.

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More than a foot of snow has fallen at Elland Road during the past few days, but head groundsman Norman Southernwood and his dedicated staff have been working tirelessly to ensure their wonderfully-named "Project Buckingham" (get the Palace on) is a success.

The club drafted in 35 extra staff yesterday morning to help clear snow from the pitch and surrounding area, emphasising Leeds's commitment to staging the game.

Earlier this year, the club proved their ability to cope with snowy conditions when their match against Wycombe Wanderers was one of the few to take place across the country on January 9.

Leeds benefit from undersoil heating, which manager Simon Grayson admits gives them an advantage over some of their rivals.

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"If we were due to play away on Saturday, particularly at a place without undersoil heating, you would have that nagging doubt about whether the game would go ahead," said Grayson.

"At Elland Road, we know that unless there is a problem with the areas surrounding the stadium, we will play.

"We're lucky with the facilities we have here because there will be some clubs this week where the players don't actually see grass until they play on the Saturday.

"But in terms of snowfall, it's probably the worst over a 12-month period I've seen in a long, long time."

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Another club blessed with undersoil heating are Hull City, who hope their game against table-topping QPR will beat the big freeze.

Around eight inches of snow has fallen at the KC Stadium, but Hull's groundstaff are also putting in the hours to try to ensure the match takes place.

One of their biggest concerns is not the pitch but the outlying areas, with the club anxious that supporters can safely travel to the match. However, provided there is no more adverse weather, Hull are optimistic they can stage the game, although police have requested an 11am pitch inspection.

One match definitely set to go ahead is Middlesbrough's fixture at Coventry City.

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In stark contrast to the rest of the country, there has been hardly any snowfall in the Coventry area.

A Sky Blues' spokesperson said: "As it stands, the game will definitely go ahead. There's no snow on the pitch – in actual fact, it looks perfectly green – and we've got undersoil heating in any case.

"We've had a little bit of snow that we've had to clear from the car parks, but we've been remarkably lucky when you look at what's been going on elsewhere in the country."

Also hoping to play are Huddersfield Town, who travel to Dagenham and Redbridge in League One.

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A pitch inspection is due this morning and Dagenham secretary Terry Grover said six to eight inches of snow had fallen at the stadium but said the match would hopefully go ahead.

"The pitch is perfectly okay and the snow is soft, so it should be easy enough to clear it all," he said.

"We're planning a snow-clearing operation for Saturday morning and have already been clearing the terracing and surrounding areas.

"The local council are stepping in to grit the main road into the club car park and also the car park itself.

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"Provided there's no more bad weather on Friday, we're hopeful that with the help of our staff and volunteers the game can be played."

Sheffield Wednesday are also crossing their fingers their game at Swindon gets the green light.

A pitch inspection has been set for 11am at the County Ground today.

Inevitably, the freezing conditions have already led to a number of postponements.

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The Championship fixture between Sheffield United and Reading was called off yesterday amid concerns for spectators' safety.

United's safety and estates officer Steve Hicks said: "There was a reasonable chance we could get the playing surface ready for action, but the situation in respect of the surrounding areas and the considerable safety issues facing supporters planning to attend the fixture was extremely worrying.

"With the likelihood of no change in the weather conditions for the immediate future, the safety of the fans was the No 1 priority in making the decision."

Offices at Bramall Lane were closed yesterday, as was the Academy at Shirecliffe due to the wintry weather.

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Also in the Championship, Doncaster Rovers' game against Barnsley was called off after a Football League referee ruled the Keepmoat Stadium pitch unplayable.

The League Two fixtures between Aldershot and Bradford and Gillingham and Rotherham also bit the dust.

The Blue Square Premier Division encounter between York City and leaders Wimbledon was also cancelled on safety grounds.

There has been around 12 inches of snow at Bootham Crescent, and, although the club said there was an outside chance it could be cleared, they added there was nowhere for that snow to be removed to.

Furthermore, there are several burst pipes at the stadium which cannot be repaired until temperatures improve.