DESPITE THERE being no action out on the Yorkshire Payments Stadium pitch, home of Brighouse Town AFC, owing to the paused season doesn’t mean there is not going to be a lack of it over the pitchside advertising hoardings.

Former chairman and player-manager Ray McLaughlin has been working on the forms for the 2020-21 ground grading assessment required and on Tuesday lunchtime was walking around the ground with general manager Darren Laycock to see what needed maintenance and tidying up ahead of a visit by FA officials in mid-February.

New sineage was ordered ahead of the latest pause in the season and all that will have to be put up in the next two weeks. Safety first paintwork was given a good coating in the months of June and July by Life Vice President Barrie Fitzjohn and that is one area they are keen on. Back in 2017 at a cost of £20,000, but mainly sponsored, the dressing rooms were expanded to the new requirements in non-league football and they receive a new coat of paint and maintenance annually.

“It’s a tall order right now with the covid rules to ask volunteers to come out of their safety bubbles and get the ground in tip top condition and the signs up, but fortunately we do keep on top of work at the stadium and do get plaudits for how well it looks,”added McLaughlin.

BRIGHOUSE TOWN Football Club’s youngest fan Madison Rowlands is all dressed up these days after her present of a club kit from Father Christmas but finds herself with nowhere to go with the club’s season paused owing to the pandemic.

The four-year-old, who attends Little Learners Nursery, Church Lane, Brighouse, is a regular normally at Town’s home games with her dad Jordan and granddad Steven Ambler, the club’s long term photographer and kit washer.

“She is a real sporty type and loves to cheer on the team when they are playing, and she can’t really understand when she sees the players on television playing and her beloved `Orange Army’ aren’t,” said Steven, who purchased the kit with grandma Carole.

“Both her dad and I have told her it will be a little later this year when she can watch the team in safety again and we can all enjoy our live football again.”