Soccer:Birmingham are confident tonight's Carling Cup clash with local rivals Aston Villa will go ahead despite another night of sub-zero temperatures.
The undersoil heating at St Andrew’s has been in operation to ensure the pitch will be playable and the first team squad trained on it yesterday with no problems.
In addition, City staff have been ensuring the concourses and seating areas are free of snow and ice to avoid any concerns over them being a safety hazard.
A Birmingham spokesman said: “We are confident that tonight’s Carling Cup tie will go ahead as planned. We do not anticipate any issues with regards to the weather.
“The St Andrew’s underground heating system has ensured that the pitch is playable. The stadium’s concourses and surrounding walkways will also be continually cleared throughout the day.
“We’d like to advise all supporters to wrap up warm and arrive for the game as early as possible.”
Blues even have a JCB on standby to clear car parks at the ground if there are any additional snowfalls during the day. The undersoil heating was only installed during the summer of 2009 after the previous January’s FA Cup clash with Wolves had to be postponed.