Barnsley’s Championship encounter with Charlton Athletic this weekend could be in doubt after the Addicks were forced to postpone their FA Cup Third Round tie with Oxford for a second time.
The game was supposed to take place two days ago but was called off due to a waterlogged pitch at Charlton’s Valley ground.
It was rearranged for Wednesday but now the club have been forced to postpone the tie until Tuesday 14th January as they struggle to make the pitch game ready.
Charlton’s problem is due to drainage issues, which surround the ground, and it is something they cannot resolve until the summer but they have installed a dome over the pitch to try and dry it out in time for Saturday’s Championship game.
Deputy Head Groundsman Nathan Chapman said:
"We're in this predicament because the pitch hasn't had any sufficient drainage work done on it for the past 16 or 17 years
"The drainage system is collapsed at one end which prevents any water from going through and as a result it just holds on the surface.
"The only way to permanently solve the problem is to wait until the summer when we will put into action plans of a new drainage system which will then be sufficient enough.
"The reason we can't do it now is because we need to dig the whole pitch up and pretty much start again."