CHESTER FC have stolen a march on their title rivals by splashing out £10,000 on protective covers for the Exacta Stadium pitch.

Neil Young’s table-toppers lost Saturday’s eagerly-awaited home match against Durham City to the big freeze as sub-zero temperatures thwarted all efforts to get the game on.

But general manager Pat Cluskey believes the newly-purchased frost sheets will allow the Blues to play on through the worst of the weather – leaving the chasing pack out in the cold and facing a fixture pile-up.

Cluskey said: “If we would have had the covers last week, Saturday’s game against Durham City would probably have gone ahead, given the fact our pitch is kept in such a good condition.

“The covers are only supposed to go down on pitches that are not frozen, but hopefully in the near future the pitch will be in a state where we can actually lay the covers down.

“That will give us a real chance of playing matches on weekends and week nights when other clubs in our league can’t.

“That of course will give us more of an advantage as the time available for the other clubs to play their games in hand on us will reduce week on week.”

In a week in which Wrexham boss Dean Saunders admitted the cash-strapped Dragons would struggle to afford covers for the Racecourse, Cluskey reckons Chester’s five-figure outlay demonstrates the benefit of being a fan-owned, not-for-profit organisation.

Cluskey said: “Any extra money we have, we reinvest in the club. We can afford the covers and they will do a job for us.”

The covers, which will withstand temperatures as low as minus 3°C, will arrive at the Exacta next week.

But they are unlikely to be used before next Wednesday’s home league match against Woodley Sports (7.45pm) as they can be only laid down as a preventative measure – and not on top of already frozen ground.

First up for Chester is a top-of-the-table encounter at second-placed Clitheroe on Saturday (3pm).

As it stands, the match is likely to be postponed because the snow-covered Shawbridge pitch is frozen solid.

But if it gets the go-ahead, Blues boss Young will be able to call on a near full-strength squad, with suspended skipper George Horan and the injured Richard Whiteside and Tom McCready his only absentees.

More Blues news – page 94.