A YORK City groundsman has revealed the challenges at the LNER Community Stadium following two postponed matches in the space of five days.

York had been due to host Solihull Moors and Blyth Spartans last week but both matches were postponed after failing pitch inspections amid the freezing weather conditions.

Since then, a number of supporters have questioned the Community Stadium's ability to deal with poor weather, given the ground's cost of over £40m.

Groundsman volunteer Nick Hatfield, who previously ran the day-to-day running of the ground, explained the situation to supporters on social media.

"I know it has been frustrating for fans with games being called off due to the weather," wrote Hatfield, who has been volunteering at City for the past eight years.

"Frost sheets are what they say they are - they keep frost off and only protect down to -5.

"The lights we have don’t really produce heat, they emit UV light to make grass artificially grow.

"With the Stadium having a tall South Stand, at this time of the year, two thirds of the pitch is in near constant shade and is a couple of degrees colder then the north side of the ground.

"To those saying undersoil heating would work, yes it would, but it is expensive to install.

"It would now cost over £1,000 a day to run, plus it has to be on a few days in advance of cold weather to start to take effect, so running it would not be possible with the cost.

"Having lights on and sheets cause diseases such as leaf spot and snow mould.

"It’s a juggling act of having to cover and uncover to get air though the leaf and keep it alive.

"I hope this has help you understand what’s going on at the moment."

York's Isuzu FA Trophy tie with Blyth was rearranged to take place tonight while a new date has yet to be given for the Vanarama National League clash against Solihull.