Albion are planning emergency talks with Ecovert South over the poor state of the Withdean pitch.

Chief executive Martin Perry says the playing surface for the New Year's Day defeat by Southend was "plainly unsatisfactory and clearly impacted on the game."

Referee Steve Baines was persuaded to let the match go ahead by both managers after two inspections.

He was concerned about a number of swampy patches, particularly in front of the North Stand.

The ball was sticking in the mud and water, so Albion boss Micky Adams substituted wide men Nathan Jones and Paul Brooker in the first half.

"We have got to talk to Ecovert," Perry said. "Quite clearly something has got to be done and we have got to decide the right way forward.

"Short-term measures have got to be taken and long-term measures. It was plainly unsatisfactory and clearly impacted on the game.

"Ecovert have to provide us with a surface to Football League standard. That clearly is not the case, but at the same time it doesn't help for us to just stand back and tell them to get on with it. We all have to try and find a solution."

Ecovert carried out thousands of pounds worth of drainage repairs on both flanks of the pitch during a 17-day break from home action for Albion before Christmas.

Continuing bad weather prevented them completing the work in front of the North Stand.

Added Perry: "On the south side the drainage worked reasonably well. We have got to see if we can do something like that on the north side.

"We've got games coming up all the time, so they cannot do any major restructuring.

"Basically there is no drainage to the pitch and it was never constructed to be a proper Football League pitch."

Albion have another home match against Lincoln on Saturday and are they are due to entertain Brentford in the LDV Vans Trophy next Tuesday.

Martin Burholt, Ecovert's leisure contracts manager, said: "We are trying to maintain the pitch to a playable condition, but what is playable?

"The difficulty we have is that we recommend not to play at times and out groundstaff are pulling their hair out.

"Micky Adams has admitted it was the managers' decision to play on Monday. I bet he wishes they hadn't now.

"It was never designed for football. It's a piece of grass to throw javelins on. There is nowhere for the water to run and it becomes a muddy paste.

"There is very little we can do at the moment. It is so boggy that people walking on it is just going to make it worse.

"I think the club accepts we are doing far more than envisaged when the contract was signed.

"If we'd had the same weather conditions as last season the pitch would now be in fantastic condition."

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