DW is far from pitch perfect, says Latics boss Joyce

Speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference, the manager said he appreciated the Wigan Warriors v Widnes match, which was scheduled to take place at the DW tonight, being moved to the home of the Vikings.

But Joyce is still concerned about the pitch, and a wet weather forecast tonight paints a bleak picture for the surface ahead of Latics’ latest battle in their bid for survival.

“You’re appreciative of the help,” Joyce said when asked about Warriors moving their game.

“I think it (the pitch) will be just about playable.

“(But) If the weather was the same tonight as it was yesterday there’s a pretty good chance the game would have been called off anyway.

“We’ll just have to see how the weather is tonight.”

The BBC forecast for the North West reads: “Cloud will continue to thicken overnight bringing wet, windy but milder weather for all. Rain will become heavy and persistent overnight, especially over western upslopes of Cumbria.”

And Joyce admits he is worried how that will affect the game tomorrow.

“If everything happens that’s supposed to happen tonight I think we’ll have problems.”

Latics are due to kick-off at 3pm tomorrow (Saturday).