ACCRINGTON Stanley are attempting to solve drainage problems that have hampered the Reds’ bid to play passing football on their new £70,000 playing surface.

Benefactor Ilyas Khan paid for the Crown Ground pitch to be dug up and levelled in the summer in an attempt to fix issues that had led to several games being postponed because of waterlogging in the previous two seasons.

But delays in the summer meant the first home of the season arrived before the surface was completely ready, and recently the pitch has been heavy during matches.

Now assistant boss Jimmy Bell hopes that the pitch will be improved by the time Shrewsbury Town arrive at the Crown Ground on Tuesday, with work being done on the drainage this week.

“They are working on the pitch and hopefully they can do something because the drainage is a concern,” said Bell.

“We are probably one of only one or two clubs in the division that want to play the right way and the pitch isn’t helping us do that at the moment.

“We’ll leave it to the experts and they are working on it, but it is something that needs sorting urgently.”