Glenrothes FC: Glens plan to upgrade Warout Stadium pitch after latest postponement due to waterlogging

Club chairman Peter McQuade is set to step in with a financial package in an attempt to fix a problem which has contributed towards a raft of Glenrothes games being put off during this campaign.

“The pitch is needing a lot of work done on it,” co-gaffer Martin told the Glenrothes Gazette. “We’ll probably need to do that at the end of the season.

"The chairman has told me he’s going to invest his money into improving the pitch.

"We are all looking to get it better drained. There’s a method involved where lines are dug into the pitch to help the drainage and there’s 90 tonnes of sand to be put in it which we’re looking to get done as well.

"The chairman has advised me that fixing the pitch is the priority for next season.

"We need to invest in that because we’ve had a lot of games off this season. We just can’t get the pitch to drain.

"The problem is with a 30 yards by 30 yards area near the middle of the pitch. A few years ago it’s reckoned that the drains got damaged and it’s never been repaired so it’s something that needs to be rectified.

"Having games postponed is very frustrating because we are already games behind and we are playing catch up already.”

Glens – second in the East of Scotland League second division with 40 points from 18 games – continue their league campaign this Saturday in an away game against eighth-placed Preston Athletic which kicks off at 2.30pm.

Martin said: “Preston are a stuffy side and they have taken points off a few teams. It’s a tough league and everyone is taking points off each other.

"At the weekend there Dunbar (the leaders with 50 points from 22 matches) lost 1-0 to Coldstream and Newtongrange lost 2-1 at Burntisland. We just need to keep plugging away, picking up as many points as we can and try and catch Dunbar.”

With their league game off, Glens instead played a friendly against Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts on Saturday on the astroturf at Dalgetty Bay.

Martin and fellow co-manager Kev Smith’s team won 6-3 and – although satisfied with this result – Martin said it was a blow that key men Graeme Walker (knee) and Callum Kinnes (hamstring) had both picked up injuries.

Walker could now be out for the rest of the season but Kinnes could return within two weeks, with Martin looking to make a new signing.

"We used a lot of under-20s in the first half to try and get them game time and we went in 2-0 down at half-time,” he added.

"We then changed it up a bit and the final score was 6-3.

"The only disappointing thing was picking up the injuries, especially at this crucial time of the season.

"I feel for Graham because he’s been flying and he just got an operation on his knee last year.

"It was actually Callum’s first game back from a hamstring injury. I don’t know if he maybe just came back too quick so we’ll have a wee look at that and see.

"We’ve lost the spine of our team – Graham, Callum and Kyle Bell which is not good.

"We might need to try and bring someone in to bolster the squad.”

Glens’ Fife rivals Thornton Hibs were also not in competitive action last weekend as their scheduled East of Scotland League second division fixture at home to Ormiston Primrose on Saturday was postponed due to a waterlogged Memorial Park pitch.

Hibs, seventh in the table with 31 points from 17 games, visit ninth-placed Peebles Rovers this Saturday for a league game which kicks off at 2.30pm.