Another week digging holes

The latest date for the Carlsberg Stadium grand opening is now in November some time. Floodlights arrive this week although erection depends on the weather. The 5/7-a-side facility buildings will be completed this month with 3 sets of changing rooms & showers ready to use and ideal for first team training until the main building is ready.

For 3 days now the pitch has had a makeover from a nice old gent with a country accent and some quite amazing machinery. He marvelled at the 60 tons of sand ready and waiting for him and waxed lyrical about the quality of it until we all fell about laughing at one mans intimate knowledge of such a thing. Still, he knows his onions (or in this case football pitches) and 3 days of intensive and expensive work has left the hallowed turf looking tasty & edible.

After a trip down to Upton Park today I can confirm that our pitch at least is looking as good as West Ham's who are also building things at their stadium - in this instance a new box exclusively for Sky Sports - apparantly they didn't like the one allocated to them last season. Hmmm.

Back in reality world, the dugouts were completed yesterday with a concrete technical area top-surfaced in astroturf. All workers on site promptly filled the covered benches, pretended they were George Borg and with interesting gestures screamed loudly at the empty pitch. Their taste for managers fame sated they were duly forced out of the shelters and back to work digging holes and trenches and filling them with concrete, because that's what our workers like to do!

No more concrete pouring tomorrow, but an SSML Premier Division match away at Oxhey Jets. KO 7.30pm.

Up The Waders!