Chairman’s thanks for help as Dewsbury get game on

A keen frost on Friday night left the ground frozen and although conditions improved on Saturday night and Sunday, there were still patches in front of the South Stand, which were in the shade, and were unplayable and prospects were 50/50 at best.

Paul Moore worked all Saturday and the volunteers turned up to help him on Sunday morning, breaking up the ice and using heaters. The match commissioner arrived and said the Rams would need to get a representative from Halifax to check the conditions.

Halifax coach Karl Harrison arrived and said they wanted to play and with Dewsbury also keen to go ahead the match was on. If either had disagreed there would have been no game.

Dewsbury chairman Mark Sawyer said: “We had budgeted for a crowd of 1,400 and we got 1,347. If the match had been postponed and played in midweek, there would have been a much lower attendance with not many coming from Halifax, so Paul and the people who helped him did a magnificent job, full credit and our thanks to them.”

Many spectators were also impressed with the quality of Dewsbury’s new matchday magazine, which is designed and printed by Kirklees College.

Previously Dewsbury, like many clubs, lost money on their programmes and Mr Sawyer remarked: “The College has made the magazine affordable for us. It is just one of the elements in the link between us. A good deal of work has been put in by the students and it’s an excellent project for them.”