The Minstermen are confident tomorrow's match with Torquay United will go ahead despite the flooding that has hit the city.

Head groundsman Bryan Horner admitted he feared the worst when much of Bootham Crescent was waterlogged at the beginning of the week.

However, the relative lack of rain in recent days has certainly eased matters and the introduction of a 'Vertidrain' machine yesterday has ensured the pitch is almost certainly playable.

Like a mechanical fork, the machine aids drainage by puncturing the surface with its 10inch-long spikes enabling more water to drain from the pitch.

"We have got drains every 4.8metres running the length of the pitch but some are on high points and can only take so much so it can take a couple of days for the water to draw off," explained Horner.

"The sheer volume we have had has meant the water has just been sat there this week.

"We couldn't actually do much, we just had to let the water pull through the drains, but now we are trying to help it with the Vertidrain and the water is going away.

"It's certainly drier than what it was a week last Saturday when we played Hull City, so providing there is no more rain I can't see there being a problem.

"I'm certainly happier now than I was on Monday."