Sports turf experts from Bingley were at Valley Parade today to investigate problems that have arisen with Bradford City's pitch.

City are so concerned about the state of the pitch that they have switched today's reserve match against Shrewsbury to their opponents' Gay Meadow ground where it will be played tomorrow at 2pm and they have called in the world famous St Ives Turf Research Institute.

Manager Paul Jewell said: "We want our team to play good football, pass the ball and move quickly, but that is difficult at the moment. There are a few areas of the pitch that hinder us and we don't want the pitch to stop us progressing.

"It is so full of sand at the moment and is in such a state that the ball is bobbling and it is stopping us getting away from teams. It is a problem that needs to be addressed and that is what we are doing."

Managing director Shaun Harvey said: "We are hoping that the St Ives experts can prescribe a short-term course of action to improve the state of the pitch. It would appear to be holding a lot of water. The drainage system looks as if it is not taking away water on the main stand side of the ground.

"We have had an exceptional wet period and of course our recent home match against Crystal Palace had to be abandoned at half-time, but that is not an excuse. We hope we can get something done temporarily.

"Paul Jewell expressed concern about the playing surface and how it is affecting the standard of football and performance of the team."

The reserve team at Shrewsbury will include senior players, full back Lee Todd and striker Gordon Watson.

Todd, who missed two away matches - Norwich and Tranmere - with a recurrence of his hamstring injury is now fit again, but had to be content with a place on the bench for Saturday's home match against Swindon because of the good form of Jamie Lawrence who took his place at Norwich.

Todd, who cost City £250,000 when he joined them from Stockport just before the start of the season, has had bad luck with injuries during his first four months at Valley Parade.

Jewell, who welcomes competition for places, said: "Jamie Lawrence has done well and the team have done well and that is what we want. One player's good luck is someone else's bad fortune."

He is also keen to improve the fitness of Watson, who returned to action this season after spending 18 months out of the game following a double fracture of the leg.

"We want to get him fit," said Jewell. "His court case is out of the way now and we want to work him very hard in training and the reserve match is just extra training. Gordon knows he's not as fit as he should be and it is our job to get him fit."

City's league match at Bolton on Boxing Day will kick-off at 1pm instead of 3pm on police instructions.

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