WIGAN ATHLETIC are taking no chances with the state of their pitch when Manchester United visit the JJB Stadium aiming to seal the Premier League title on Sunday week.

The town's rugby league club have agreed to a request from the football club's chairman, Dave Whelan, to put back their home Challenge Cup tie against Whitehaven from the Friday night before the match to the Monday after it, to avoid any further criticism of the playing surface.

"The last thing we want is a worldwide TV audience with the pitch having suffered from heavy rain, and Wigan rugby league club having played a game there a couple of days prior to the football match," said Ian Lenagan, who bought Whelan's majority shareholding in the rugby club last winter. "We have been wrongly blamed for the poor state of the JJB Stadium pitch and I don't want Wigan's name, and rugby league's name, to attract wrongful criticism."

Whelan was keen to stress rugby league had not contributed to the condition of the surface and said the pitch would be dug up and a new one laid this summer.

Guardian Service