Steve Bradshaw Charlton Chief Operating Officer today published a new operational plan to deal with Valley pitch issues in response to proposals from CAS Trust and Charlton's Fan's Forum

The positive move from fans was to suggest a way of avoiding possible future disappointments after the postponed Barnsley home match to fans from both home and visiting teams who may have to travel substantial distances to matches.

The Valley pitch which was still in a very poor state for the Oxford home FA cup draw despite attempts to revive it since new owner Roland Duchatelet arrived, has been plagued by drainage issues this season which is highly unusual for what is normally one of the best pitches around, due to the dedication of club legend Paddy Powell.  The problems are said to be due to a collapsed drain, with the club now promising to spend big this summer to correct the issues. Concerns raised by fans eventually lead to a Trust initiative which include members of the Fans Forum to assist the club in forming a plan which better informed travelling supporters in good time.

Charlton today published its steps to avoid late postponement repeat promising to have the pitch inspected 24 hours before if there was any doubt whether the surface was playable, and thanked fans for their valuable feedback.

TN