TROUBLE AT SAINTS’ TRAINING GROUND

Buds can’t practise on grass pitches

ROBBO’S FEELING UNDER WEATHER

Stephen Robinson insists life’s a pitch when it comes to trying to train on grass.

A sodden season has left natural surfaces across the country in a terrible state following a much wetter than average winter.

St Mirren’s training ground at Ralston is among those badly affected with the grass pitch having been submerged for weeks.

And boss Robinson revealed the squad – who confirmed their top-six Premiership status at the weekend – have trained on it just twice since Christmas Eve.

Club chiefs have committed to a project aimed at improving the situation – which has been exacerbated by storms and sub-zero temperatures – both at Ralston and the SMiSA Stadium.

Robinson sympathised with the groundstaff’s “impossible” job and reckons the decision now is whether or not to bring forward the planned remedial work to get a head start this summer. “It’s not ideal and we’re not the only club affected by all this,” Robbo said. “We’re going to have to make a decision as we’ve only trained twice on grass since December 24.

“We’re going to put in an investment to make it better along with the stadium pitch.

“We will make a decision on that in the next week whereby we just stop trying to get on it because it’s a mess.

“It’s got to the stage that the pitch is so unplayable that we need the work done on it so we maybe get it done now rather than come back pre-season and we’re waiting two or three weeks for it to be finished.

“The board are doing everything in their power to help the groundstaff as they have an impossible job.”

The Buddies players have been forced to work day in, day out on the artificial turf at Ralston but Robinson admits that this comes with its own problems.

“You get injuries going from grass to astro,” he explained. “Astro isn’t ideal but the bonus is we do have one at the training ground to train on.

“You do pick up more niggles and injuries and the players don’t enjoy training on it. But we do have a group of boys here who get on with things – it’s me that does the complaining!”

When asked if renting a grass pitch elsewhere was an option, Robinson conceded it was almost a non-starter even if they did actually find one available.

“Grass pitches are few and far between,” he added. “Unless they are maintained to a professional football club standard, it’s not worth it.”

Meanwhile, Saints’ non-league neighbours Johnstone Burgh will attempt to overcome their own turf trouble by playing another home game in East Kilbride tonight.

Burgh will travel to K-Park in South Lanarkshire to face Thorniewood United as they work through a West of Scotland League First Division fixtures backlog.

It proved a happy hunting ground last Wednesday night when they thrashed Cambuslang Rangers 6-1 to reignite a push for promotion.

In the Fourth Division, secondplaced Thorn Athletic will this evening travel to BSC Glasgow.