Viral Sheffield Wednesday South Stand shadow theory confirmed as fight goes on to repair sodden pitch

In the hours after the Owls’ League One clash with Accrington Stanley was postponed due to a severely waterlogged pitch, Wednesday YouTuber Sheff Cam released a video explaining that expansion of the Hillsborough South Stand in 1996 means the closest areas of the pitch do not get enough sunshine to grow adequately.

The video received an enthusiastic response from Wednesday supporters, many of whom admitted they had not considered the hulking Grandstand to be an issue.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Doncaster Rovers this weekend, Moore was happy to confirm the theory, explaining that while the club has invested in equipment to battle the issue and encourage the growth of grass on that southern touchline, inclement weather in recent weeks has meant its use has been limited.

Moore told The Star: “The groundstaff have always illustrated here at Wednesday that where the stand is, we don’t get as much of the sunlight on there.

“We’ve got these heat lamps that are almost constantly on. It’s not just this season, it’s been over many seasons. What they are for is to encourage the grass to grow.

“At the same time, it’s been challenging with the weather we’ve had over this time. It’s been difficult to get those lights on the pitch. The example I’d give is that it’s impossible to get them out there today [Friday] because of the wind and the rain. It would just destroy a really expensive piece of equipment.

“We’ve got enough equipment to cover that area, but we can’t get them on.

“Once the weather eases and the wind dies down and it’s dryer, we can get them on the pitch and that will help the grass on that side to grow.

“It’s always been a difficulty at the club and we continue to monitor that. Hopefully that can iron out one or two of the concerns the supporters have.”

There is not yet word on when Wednesday’s clash against Accrington – which had already been postponed once because of a Covid outbreak at S6 – will be replayed, though there are three midweeks open in March.

Moore went on to explain his influence on the pitch since the start of the season, giving an indication of how closely he works with the Wednesday ground staff.

“I’m really heavily involved and have been from the start of the season in terms of the pitch diameters, the length of the grass and how we want the pitch,” he said.

“I’m involved with discussions now in terms of where it’s at now and where we need it to be for the rest of the season. I want to lend my support in whatever I can do in keeping it a decent playing surface, which we want from now until the end of the season.

“The weather has not helped it. When it does dry out a bit we’ll be doing everything we can to keep it as clean and smooth as possible going forward.”