‘Unmitigated disaster’: Faltering promotion rivals on big concern ahead of Portsmouth visit

Peterborough’s deteriorating playing surface is providing a major concern for Pompey’s promotion rivals at a critical moment in the season.

And Posh owner, Darragh MacAnthony, admitted the issue is an ‘unmitigated’ disaster for the division’s top scorers.

Darren Ferguson’s side have lost their past three League One games and are winless in four, as they falter with teams heading for the home straight in the campaign.

A concern for MacAnthony is the state of his club’s London Road pitch, which has worsened with rainfall leading to their clash with Port Vale being called off on Tuesday.

Pompey go to Peterborough next month to take on a side possessing an impressive array of attacking talent.

Their playing conditions won’t necessarily help get the most out of the likes of Ephron Mason Clark, Kwame Poku, Jonson Clarke-Harris & Co however, with three out of their next four games on home soil.

Speaking on his The Hard Truth - Inside the Football Industry podcast, MacAnthony said: ‘We spent a lot of money with a company who installed the pitches five years ago and who maintained them. They dropped out of the maintenance business a few months ago when there was still time left on their contract.

‘We knew we were coming to end of a five-year cycle with the pitch and we would have to replace it at the end of the season, but we didn’t expect it to give up on us halfway through.

‘We employed a new company in December so there is no criticism of them, but we will have to spend a lot of money in the summer. We might go for a Desso pitch.

‘We’ve spent the most money we’ve ever spent on pitches at the stadium and at the training ground and what has happened has been an unmitigated disaster.

‘We have nine games left at home this season, most of them in March and April when hopefully the sun is shining and we’ve been able to get some work done on the pitch. It needs rolling and flattening. We actually got a good 10 days’ work into it before the Vale game, but if we’d played just 45 minutes on it, it would probably have been ruined.

‘If we can get the pitch sorted I’m sure it will help our pace and youth cause problems for teams with tiring legs at the end of a tough season. We’re certainly doing what we can.’