Dumbarton Rock

I'm actually feeling sorry for your groundsman now. Just a couple of weeks ago he had to deal with a game on the Saturday then another on the Sunday which is madness on that surface. Then this week Kazakhstan U21s train on it 4 days before an important league game. Now I'm hearing Broomhill are back on it tomorrow. Full time groundsman would struggle to deal with this nonsense. I just don't get it

If it has been verti-drained recently it won't flood, I believe itsGavin Irons that's back doing it and he does it right. You need to go down 7 to 8 inches to reach the hard-core, that basically leaves a hole straight through your problem part of the pitch so it drains away fine. A day like this which a soggy pitch will close most of the holes up though and your heading back to square one. That's why you need to do it at least 4 times a season on that pitch. 20 years of just the basic maintenance to blame I'm afraid.

How time flies, 7 years ago

To answer a few of your questions. I always had Gavin booked up for as soon as the season was done, he would do us and Cappilow at the same time. He would vertidrain it then 60 ton of sand would get spread on it and it would get over seeded as well. It would then be left for a couple of weeks to let the seed germinate. The sand gets brushed into the holes the vertidrain made and that helps with the drainage and let's air into the soil. Then I'd start 3 weeks of cutting and watering constantly and it would then be ready for the start of the season. I'd also over seed the touchlines and goalmouths myself. I couldn't believe it when I saw that sand getting put on this late. Bizarre.

I walked by on Thursday and saw about 40 ton of sand sitting at the gate, my thoughts were no way are they putting that on the park with a game in 48 hours. They did. . That gets done the week after the last game

Well I can't see you getting a 4g pitch this year, your summer work was done today so can't see them ripping it up now. Interesting to see Carrick Sports have been binned and Gavin Irons done the work. That's the first time he's been back since I left.

Pitch getting vertidrained again today. It will work this time as conditions are good.

Yes.

Had a wee look on my home from the Rock, park is fine, looks a bit wet in the goalmouths but the vertidrain has done it's job.

I finally got them to agree to spend 3 grand getting it corralled then the total collapse in the championship relegation battle happened. The next message was see yer corralling it ain't happening. In hindsight that was the day that broke me.

I did say on Tuesday that this was his plan of attack. Vertidarin Tuesday so no chance of it being on but gave today's game a fighting chance. If Tuesday had went ahead today would probably have been off. Club can't afford to lose all these Saturday games. Good effort Mr Paton.

Depends how long it lasts

Pishing down again

Wee chance guys looks like the vertidrain done it's job and he got the ride on on it yesterday. He's lining it just now so must think it has a chance.

You know what that means. If it had a chance it would be half 12 1ish.

Yip weather was horrible through the night, I'll be amazed if a ref puts it on.

It's been dry most of the day, not sure if he has anything that will help to get rid of the ruts the tractors front wheels left. Could be a farce if it goes ahead.

Ground sharing was one of the reasons I walked away. I had worked myself through covid on half wages, when it got to August and the season looked like commencing at the start of October I asked them to start up Ally again so we could get everything ready. As I was doing it myself I was only concentrating on the pitch and there was plenty of other stuff that had been neglected round the stadium. I was then told we were looking at ground sharing with BSC Glasgow( just left Alloa) or Celtic reserves plus I wasn't getting Ally back. I was meant to do double the work with half the staff, apparently they would have provided someone if i needed help, total joke you can't work like that. They were already getting my services for peanuts so unfortunately I took the decision to wrap it. I do have some sympathy with the boy that's doing it as I know what he's working with but I did give him my number and said any problems or you need a hand just call me. He never did. This isn't just a new owner situation. Just a last wee insight to my life under that chairman I asked at the start of January for 12 bags of fertilizer(£120) I waited a month to get a decision, I sent him a picture of a green pitch from the start of the month and one a month later that was brown. I said that's what happens if you don't get me what I need. His reply was 'oh I see what you mean now' A few on here know all this as I've private messaged them in the past. I hope you don't mind me getting that off my chest as I hurts me more than you guys to see that pitch like that. Hope it gets rectified sooner rather than later.

OMG it was too soft to vertidrain it

The tyres are slicks and they are wide so they don't actually make much of a mark and it has a roller on the back of it as well. That must have been borderline today with the amount of water that was on it yesterday. Hiring a road roller and driving that up and down the park would be more of a concern than that tractor being on it.

Sun is splitting the skies.

That's my bowling green just now.

Nah it was a m8 that took it at 11am. You would need to walk on it to find out how it was, I don't think I'd be welcome if I walked in the gate lol.

The whole idea of a vertidrain is to open it up and let it dry out. Playing on it straight away is just throwing money away. Plus it will be crazy bumpy unless he goes over it with the ride on. My thinking is he's going for tonight and Thursday to be off and it gives Saturdays game a fighting chance by doing that today. . Just my opinion.