This is why FC Halifax Town have had to switch their friendlies from The Shay

Halifax’s scheduled home games against Doncaster and Darlington have both had to be moved, with the Doncaster match taking place at Rovers’ training ground yesterday (Tuesday) and Saturday’s fixture taking place at Darlington’s Blackwell Meadows ground.

According to the council, the grass roots on the Shay surface are not going deep enough, there’s also a very high sand content and there needs to be more fibre in the pitch.

Calderdale Council’s Sports Services Manager, Gary Byrnes, said: “Unfortunately the recent improvement works have not been quite as successful as we hoped and although the Shay pitch could be played on, we’re taking precautions to safeguard upcoming first team games.

“We became aware of the issue following the rugby match last Sunday and have since brought in pitch specialists to help diagnose the problem as soon as possible.

“We are in daily contact with both the football and rugby clubs and we’re confident that the pitch will be in a good condition for the upcoming scheduled home fixtures for both clubs.”