Swindon Town’s long-term plan for where to train remains up in the air three weeks after their departure from Beversbrook.
Ahead of their opening game of the season against Northampton Town, Swindon took the decision to spend two weeks away from their normal training base at Beversbrook in Calne.
This came after undertaking an assessment of their training pitches in response to the rash of injuries they have suffered so far this season, with 18 players having now dealt with an injury at one point or another since the return for pre-season.
This was initially supposed to be for a fortnight to give the pitches a chance to recover from the consistent heat of the summer, which had made them hard, but was extended into this week.
The Adver understands that Swindon have been investigating different options for where to train, as although they are under a multi-year contract at Beversbrook, they would welcome the opportunity to find a better location.
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When asked about whether he knew where the team would be training next week, Ian Holloway said that he was still not aware.
He said: “I am the slipped-over juggler. All of my balls are in the air, and I don't know where they are going to land. I probably won't catch them all, but I don’t need to, because that's not my job. I'm just going to deal with what I'm dealing with today.”
Head Groundsman Matt Povey and his team won League Grounds Team of the Season last year after being instrumental in getting the club to stitch the pitch last summer to create the best playing surface at the level.
But even with this, were Swindon to continue to train on their own pitch, it would have consequences down the road with the quality of the grass as the season progresses.
Last week, Holloway admitted that they could not risk training at the Nigel Eady County Ground for a fourth week and a new solution must be found.
He said: “The groundsman certainly didn't want [us to continue training at the ground this week], and I feel for him.
“We've got to try and make sure that we don't do that after next week, because the pitch will be ruined. No matter what we have spent on it, no matter how good he is, the pitch will be ruined.
“So, we need to get at it and on it to make sure we've got somewhere that's appropriate to train.”
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