After a horrific week of rain, Artell and the first team squad have taken up the opportunity to train at Gresty Road.

The boss has heaped praise on ground staff duo Andrew Whalley and Peter Cope, he said: “They suggested to train here (Gresty Road), we didn’t even go to them, but we’ve been on the grass at the training ground. That’s a testament to the money which was spent up there in the Summer, allowing us to still be on the grass at this time of year.”

The Groundsmen have been dedicated to ensuring that the pitch is always fit for purpose. After already being in use this week for the Under-23’s and Wednesday’s FA Youth Cup clash, the duo made sure today was no different.

The gaffer added: “A year ago, we were spending a lot of time on the 3G surface and I don’t think it helped in the end. Moving forward to this year, we are still on grass and I can’t praise the ground staff enough for that.”