Peterborough players use 'sweeper system' to clear snow

Two Peterborough United players turned sweepers to clear the pitch of snow during the club's League One victory over Walsall.

Defender Steven Taylor and forward Junior Morias grabbed brooms to clear the snow obscuring the 18-yard box at the ABAX Stadium on Tuesday night.

The weather almost forced the match to be abandoned as conditions deteriorated 15 minutes from the final whistle.

A club spokesman said Peterborough were "rewarded with three points".

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Caretaker manager David Oldfield - in charge after the departure of Grant McCann earlier this week - said the players showed "a lot of character".

"It was a game full of twists and turns and thrills and excitement and heart-thumping moments," he said.

"The referee came over and said we have five minutes to clear the lines. The players are grabbing the brooms and brushes and shovels, the staff came out.

"I think that was a big example of the togetherness of the football club."

He paid tribute to the 2,500-strong crowd who braved the cold to attend the match.

Club spokesman Phil Adlam tweeted after the match: "A lot of work went into getting that game on, the ground staff, the youth team and the staff that helped with the covers, the stewards who sprung into action and the players too for playing the sweeper system to perfection. Rewarded with three points. #pufc."

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Peterborough United commentator Sam Edwards said the ground had been clear before the match but snow "turned from a dusting to a flurry to a near snowstorm" during the game.

"By half-time, the pitch was blanketed and the ground staff had to use the interval to clear all the lines and penalty areas," he said.

He recounted how the referee paused the game with a little over 10 minutes left and asked for the lines to be cleared again.

"Two Peterborough players themselves grabbed shovels and joined in, with fans looking on in sheer amazement and disbelief," he added.

"I don't think I will ever cover a game quite like that again."