Plymouth Argyle are assessing the damage to their Home Park pitch after trespassers broke in over the weekend before stealing a tractor and driving it across the playing surface.
The League One club have offered a reward for information on the culprits which has significantly set back their schedule for the renovation of the pitch ahead of pre-season. Bristol City are set to face Argyle on Saturday, July 16 at Home Park, in one of only two matches that have been confirmed so far, and the Robins are in communication with their opponents.
It’s unclear at this stage how lasting the damage is and the potential disruption it may cause. Plymouth Live report the ground staff and pitch contractors Inscapes will now carry out urgent repairs and are in a “race against time” to be ready for two pre-season fixtures in mid-July. Before hosting City, Plymouth are due to play Swansea on Tuesday, July 12.
Speaking at the end of May, ground manager Chris Ralph revealed that the process of giving the fibre-sand surface an annual makeover - removing the old grass, addressing levelling issues and then applying a new surface - takes around six weeks to complete. With the Swansea and City games just over five weeks away, that puts both games in doubt with more expected to be known by the end of the week.
"Gutted is an understatement but I work with fantastic people who have already put the wheels in motion to fix the damage caused,” Argyle grounds manager Ralph wrote on Twitter.
Police are investigating the break-in which took place on Saturday night, visiting the stadium on Sunday to collect fingerprints and gather information, including CCTV footage. The tractor was taken from the ground's storage garage after those responsible scaled a perimeter fence to get in.
Argyle wrote in a statement: “This work comes at additional cost to the club, and places our grounds team under further pressure, with an already tight turnaround for scheduled pre-season matches.
“The club will also be upscaling security at the stadium to ensure that this does not happen again. Of course, this adds further expense, deviating vital funds away from enhancing the stadium, squad, and match-day experience at Argyle.”
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