[Cardross]

Maybe the pipe band flattened the playing surface sufficiently to allow the game to take place.

[vics fan]

as regards the vics pitch, i agree it was verging on unplayable.
i have watched football there for a long time and was stunned at how unlevel the ground was, never seen it that bad.

please be aware that the council will close the ground before spending the money to level the park. this is a certainty and if it wasnt next to an abbatoir they would have sold it already.
it is certainly no putting green but its the best vics can do under the current circumstances.

[Jacktonite]

Was too down on Saturday and Sunday to come on here to talk about the pitch due to my very poor performance on Saturday but got to admit i was shocked at the state of it before a ball had been kicked. In all my years playing ( and thats a lot!!) it was by far the worse i've ever seen and i feel sorry for the Vics players having to play on that every second week. The park was very soft , which is fair enough for this time of year, but there had been no attempt to sort the pitch from their previous game and there was massive holes all over the pitch making it treacherous from word go. Running up for the very first corner we got in ten minutes i went right over my ankle and I'm suprised no one got badly injured but to be honest i'm suprised the ref deemed the pitch playable as it certainly wasnt! I dont care if it is the council that looks after the pitch there should have been a bit of pride from the Salcoats committee and surely they could have had a few people down sorting out the holes and giving the pitch a roll. Got to admit though cant help thinking it might have been a bit of gamesmanship from the Vics to bring the game on an even keel as our ball players just never got going and we just never got to grips with the pitch at all, in fact we were lucky to come away with a point!! The only plus point that has come from this game is that we dont have to play there again this season!!

[sea_sider1]

"Gamesmanship"? Gie's peace Fabi, what planet you on? Do you honestly think we want to play on a park like that? That's a terrible shout. We've only played 2 league games back on that park, absolutely nothing anyone can do. Plus the league have decided to give us a 3rd home game in a row on Sat which is only going to make it worse.

"Bring the game to an even keel"? We played the better football and the full team are very disappointed not to get the 3 points.

This post has been edited by sea_sider1: 16 January 2012 - 23:55

[Kilwinning Ranger]

2 League games plus a friendly against a team called the Geet

This post has been edited by Kilwinning Ranger: 17 January 2012 - 08:22

[froob87]

Stogie, on 16 January 2012 - 11:56, said:

The changing rooms at saltcoats are too small. The committee have put a lot of effort into Campbell park to get it to the state it is in because it was a dump before but I'm pretty sure it's still council owned and therefor they should be looking after the park

only the away changing rooms. the home ones are twice the size from what i saw when we were there

[JIML]

worse than Darvel????

jeez o, must be bad then

[917]

The pitch on Saturday was the worst i have ever seen at any level, if the vics continue to play there without any upkeep (council or vics led) then it will be some poor player who suffers the consequences! I understand that the pitch is council owned however i cannot fathom why this would stop the Saltcoats Committee at least making some effort to maintain the pitch themselves? Maybe as Fabi says when you have a team coming who are renowned passing side it is easier to leave the park in the state it was?

[Toby]

 DSC00037.JPG (480.41K)
Number of downloads: 5

Can't comment on Salcoats' pitch, but this was Tow Law Town's at a pre season friendly against Morton in July 2008. If that was the state of it in the summer, God know's how it would be round about this time of year.

[RedEd]

Stogie, on 16 January 2012 - 11:56, said:

I'm pretty sure it's still council owned and therefor they should be looking after the park

It depends on the terms of the lease Saltcoats have with NAC. Normally, councils grant leases on condition that the leassee repairs and maintains the facility

This post has been edited by RedEd: 17 January 2012 - 13:20

[The Old Northerner]

RedEd, on 17 January 2012 - 13:20, said:

It depends on the terms of the lease Saltcoats have with NAC. Normally, councils grant leases on condition that the leassee repairs and maintains the facility

It'll depend on the lease: we have a fully maintained lease with East Lothian Council. Costs a bit more but means that they are responsible for repairs We had a burst pipe last year in our pavilion and it was down to the Council to get it fixed - which they did in good time. Problem with drainage in one area of the park this season - council sorted it. We do a bit of reasonable maintainance but the big ticket items fall to the council

[Jacktonite]

sea_sider1, on 16 January 2012 - 23:49, said:

"Gamesmanship"? Gie's peace Fabi, what planet you on? Do you honestly think we want to play on a park like that? That's a terrible shout. We've only played 2 league games back on that park, absolutely nothing anyone can do. Plus the league have decided to give us a 3rd home game in a row on Sat which is only going to make it worse.

"Bring the game to an even keel"? We played the better football and the full team are very disappointed not to get the 3 points.

Are you a player or committee member or just a fan?? I just cant understand why else would no one from your committee not try and get the pitch rolled , forked or something???? No i dont think YOU (if your a player or fan) would want to play on that but there's no excuses for the park to be that bad. Yes you did play better and if you read my last post i did say we were lucky to come away with a point. As i say i feel sorry for the players but trust me i've seen all the tricks in the book over the years from committees and this just smacked of one of them ... nothing to do with the players!!

[buffter]

Fabi your point is correct , Saltcoats were quite happy to play on that surface as IMO it suited them better and yes they did play better in the second half but lets be honest they were camped in their own half the first Half Hour , the pitch just didnt suit the way the Buffs are playing this season but Hey it was the same for both sides as they say and Saltcoats to their credit coped better . My original Point was that the pitch is DANGEROUS and someone is going to be hurt , it is a matter of time ! so either the council or the Saltcoats commitee really need to pull the finger out and do something before a poor Lad is put out the game for a very long time i mean what if nothing is done and say (touch wood it doesnt) a saltcoats lad receives a bad one it really will reflect badly on your club . We all know clubs are struggling for funds , staff etc but i really think it should be addressed as a matter of urgency

[bAzTNM]

Outwith the season, it has to be the Rutherglen Glencairn pitch. When it was about June or July, the local ned youth really took a hammering to it.

Looked decent in August, September though.

This post has been edited by bAzTNM: 18 January 2012 - 06:55

[groundhopper]

Really sorry to hear all the comments about Saltcoats' pitch. The last thing the club need after all the hassles they've had to put up with.

Would really appreciate anyone from Saltcoats giving us updates on the pitch and the likelihood of Saturday's game at Campbell Park going ahead.

Many thanks.