SIR — As a long-distance supporter of Minehead Football Club, I was most interested to read in the Free Press about the current condition of the Irnham Road pitch. My most recent visit to Minehead was immediately after the national tug-of-war championship had been held. With only eight weeks to go to the start of the football season, I was shocked to see the state in which the pitch had been left, with a series of deep ruts across it. I also wondered just how much worse the effect on the pitch might have been if the weather had not been exceptionally dry at the time. The comments by the mayor and the four councillors quoted in your report (Free Press July 29) all reflect genuine concern for the football club. I am confident, therefore, that the town council will do all in its power not only to resolve the present problem but also to ensure that a binding arrangement is put in place for a prompt and effective reinstatement of the football pitch in the event of the European tug-of-war championships being held on it in 2007. It is no easy task these days to run a non-league football club, and I have been most impressed recently by the enthusiasm and hard work of all those concerned with turning round the fortunes of Minehead FC after some difficult years on and off the pitch. It would be such a pity if all their efforts were now to be undermined by circumstances beyond the football club's control. Mike Collins, Audrey Gardens, North Wembley.