Port Vale: Pitch plans won't affect playing budget, says Paul Wildes

PLANS to spend a six-figure sum on a new pitch won't affect Port Vale's playing budget next season.

Chairman Paul Wildes wants the Vale Park surface re-laid in the summer as part of a scheme to improve the whole ground.

But he insists investment off the pitch won't to have an impact on the team.

"We want to make a significant investment by laying down a new pitch," he said.

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"It's something the club needs and it would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.

"But spending that wouldn't alter the amount of support we can offer to Micky Adams.

"The money would come out of a different pot.

"We hope we're in League One next season and if that's the case, we'll want to have a go. We wouldn't just want to survive – that's no fun.

"Micky might want to bring in some quality players for key positions, and we're keen to make sure he can do that."

Wildes wants the current soil-based pitch, which has cut up badly during the winter, to be replaced by a sand-based surface offering much-improved drainage.

"Even if we don't go up, we'll see the new pitch as an investment," he added.

"Hopefully, there'll be a lot fewer games called off because of it and that will have a big impact on the balance sheet.

"We're planning budget scenarios for both League One and League Two at the moment and, while that's a lot of work, it's also a good position to be in because it means we're doing well."

The current pitch was laid in 1950, and though drainage work has been carried out since, Wildes says months of poor weather had provided a graphic illustration of its limitations.

"It has become very boggy and has hampered our attacking style," he said.

"It has become a 'leveller' and that's the last thing you want when you have one of the best squads in the division.

"There has been a lack of investment on it over the years and head groundsman Steve Speed has worked wonders."

Wildes said he would be talking to consultants on Tuesday.

"These types of replacements are usually booked one or two years in advance," he said.

"But we're confident it will go ahead."