Motherwell are hopeful that short-term repair work on their troublesome pitch will allow them to continue playing at Fir Park this season.The club called in independent experts after last Saturday's SPL clash against Celtic was called off - the eighth postponement to hit Fir Park inside two months.

Chairman John Boyle admitted then that the pitch might be out of action for a month and the club would consider playing home games away from their stadium.

But work this week has identified a problem with particles hardening around undersoil heating pipes and preventing water draining away.

The club, who plan a complete overhaul of the pitch in the summer, have tried to rectify the problem with a view to playing their next home game against Hibernian on March 29.

Chief executive Iain Stillie told the club's website: "Following the postponement of the Scottish Premier League clash with Celtic last Saturday, work was carried out to identify the issue regarding the substrata below the surface of the pitch.

"Investigations involving third-party experts concluded that fines particles meshing with the clay-based soil have hardened around the undersoil heating pipes, creating an impermeable layer below the root zone of the surface.

"The result of which made the natural drainage of the pitch difficult and the problem was exacerbated by the record rainfall of the past three months.

"At present, the short-term work appears to have overcome the identified issue.

"Currently the club, together with our advisors, are awaiting the assessment of the performance of the pitch relative to this morning's heavy rainfall.

"It must be reiterated that the draining process carried out in the last three days is a short-term fix to potentially fulfil our remaining SPL fixtures at Fir Park.

"Simultaneously, with this remedial action, we are currently accessing the scope of work for a permanent solution to this issue during the summer.

"Discussions regarding fixture rearrangements are ongoing with the Scottish Premier League and we can reassure fans that we will endeavour to announce details as soon as they are confirmed."

Gretna, Motherwell's tenants, found a new venue for their upcoming home games following the latest postponement, and will host Celtic at Livingston's Almondvale Stadium on Sunday.

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