U's head groundsman Blacknall praises army of volunteers (From Gazette)

U's head groundsman Blacknall praises army of volunteers

9:54am Tuesday 14th February 2012 in Colchester Utd By Jonathan Waldron

David Blacknall has thanked the volunteers who helped clear Colchester United’s pitch ahead of their clash with Brentford tonight.

The experienced U’s head groundsman and his assistant Steve Parker have worked tirelessly to ensure the Weston Homes Community Stadium surface is playable, following the recent cold snap.

They were assisted yesterday by Colchester manager John Ward, assistant manager Joe Dunne and sports scientist David Carolan, along with a number of willing U’s fans, in clearing the snow off the pitch.

Blacknall said he was very grateful for the help and is looking forward to Colchester’s first home game for more than three weeks.

He said: “The timing of the help was great, because the snow came off really well.

“We had at least ten people helping out at any time throughout the day and they were all brilliant.

“We’d still be clearing the snow off the pitch now if they hadn’t have helped as much as they did.

“John Ward was brilliant - he came along at a time when we were all flagging and was a huge help.”

See Tuesday’s Gazette for a full preview of Colchester United’s clash with Brentford.