Repair work this week to fix Heath's wet pitch

Their Premier Division clash with Horsham was postponed for the second time on Tuesday night - after being called off in mid-December for the same reason.

A soft and waterlogged section to the right-hand side of the far goal is proving the problematic area and has meant the Bears haven’t played at home since December 12.

The match referee called the derby game off after an afternoon inspection, and although Heath boss Steve Painter was left frustrated, he was pleased that the Horsham District Council owned pitch is set to be repaired this week.

He said: “The pitch is just not draining. It’s in one corner and the same corner that Horsham complained about before.

“The referee went straight out to that corner, bounced the ball, all you would expect, and said it wasn’t playable.

“We have work contractors going in on Thursday and Friday. The Leisure Centre contacted Horsham District Council to see what they wanted to do and have advised what work they want to do.

“They have been trying to get the work done for the past month, but cannot because of the bad weather. It’s now just about dry enough to get on there. Tuesday night just came a bit too soon.

“It’s a real pain for us as we have played three or four games fewer than everyone else and obviously it’s a pain for Horsham as well as they don’t want a massive backlog.

“Like I say, hopefully after this week we can start getting games played back there as it is not good for us either having a backlog, last thing we want to be playing three or four times a week.”

Horsham manager Dominic Di Paola said: “It’s just annoying as it was a perfect night for football. It’s another game to fit in so it’s all fun and games.”

The Hornets again do not have a game scheduled on Saturday and face Loxwood on Tuesday night. Heath are due to be at home to Hailsham this weekend and face Horsham YMCA on Tuesday.

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