Motherwell pitch under fire once again

Motherwell have insisted they had done everything possible to prevent the Fir Park pitch becoming unplayable this season.

The club's playing surface has come under fire in recent weeks, exactly a year after they were hit with a suspended £20,000 fine by the Scottish Premier League for problems with their undersoil heating and the general state of the pitch.

Motherwell completed a full renewal of their playing surface and drainage system over the summer at a cost of £350,000, as well as replacing the pipework in their undersoil heating system.

The club said in a statement: "A new pitch progresses best with a wet mild winter.

"In addition, continued use of the undersoil heating over the period does not make for good pitch conditions overall, particularly not one which has just grown from seed just five months earlier."

General manager Leeann Dempster added: "We completely understand the criticism of our pitch and share the frustration.

"However, I hope that all fair-minded people can see we have taken every possible action to solve the problems of last year.

"The reality of our climate and the time of year we play the games has made it impossible for our new pitch to bed down.

"We are consulting with Greentech (who built the pitch) about what actions we, and they, should now undertake. We will keep the Scottish Premier League fully updated on our situation.

"Given the facts and the reality of our efforts, I would appeal to fans of all clubs to bear with us and for commentators who lead public opinion to contact us to understand the situation so that their comments may be informed."