Rain, rain, rain....

The rain it raineth every day.

Well thanks Shakespeare for the weather report – tell us something we didn’t know.

The rain has indeed raineth every bloody day since Christmas and it’s fair to say we are all pisseth off with it. When will it stop?

It’s something to do with the jet stream, apparently. Unbroken crap weather that would normally be funnelled up into Scandinavia is instead being directed like an incessant sprinkler at our green and now sodden land.

And with the forecast predicting more of the same for at least another week, it feels like next Saturday will be another blank and we could be heading into March with as many as 10 home games still to play. Just one late blast of winter and we could be in serious trouble. 

Is it time to consider alternatives instead of another washout? Hereford, with admittedly even more home fixtures still to play (14!), have just announced that they are switching to Worcester for at least one fixture, and probably more as Edgar Street has a major drainage problem. 

Don’t shoot me, but has the club thought about approaching Corby or even Harborough to get a game on? Better half a crowd than none at all. 

And what of Latimer Park longer term? Despite many thousands sunk into pitch improvements, it remains a liability due to the clay base. Home fixtures from December to March are basically a lottery. Chances of being on? 50/50. And winters are getting wetter. 

Saturdays wiped out means midweek rearrangements, likely now squeezed into a few weeks, resulting in depressed attendances and lost hospitality revenue. All round it’s a budget killer. 

So what’s the answer?

A new home remains a pipe dream and feels no closer than when Frenches Field was first announced. So we’re staying at LP with basically 2 options:

1. current plan – get grant funding for a 3G surface adjacent to main pitch, for training and other uses.

2. replace main pitch with 3G, ensuring certainty of first team fixtures PLUS can be used for other purposes.

I’ve never quite understood the logic behind the current plan. Why still be at the mercy of the weather? Yes, a second, 3G surface would open up a revenue stream, but so would having it as the main surface. Just because we have the spare land doesn’t mean we have to put it there. 

And please don’t anyone point out that the Football League still prohibits artificial pitches. Let’s worry about that if we get to it!

Currently about as likely as the sun coming out.