THIEVES have dealt Petersfield Town Football Club a massive blow on the eve of an historic season for the Rams.

All of the club’s grounds equipment, used to maintain the playing surface in the Love Lane stadium, was stolen during a raid at the stadium last week.

It means groundstaff who prepare the playing surface have been left with no mower and other vital equipment as the club prepares to play at the highest ever level of non league football in its history.

The Rams kick off their Evo-Stik League Southern Division 1 Central campaign at AFC?Rushden and Diamonds this Saturday.

Their first home game in the league is due to take place next Wednesday (August 12) when Fleet Town will be the visitors. But, as things stand, the club does not have the equipment it needs to get the pitch ready to play football.

A?club spokesman said: “This really is a bitter blow for everyone at the club.

“We discovered the equipment was missing on Friday evening. We have been the subject of a number of attempted break-ins and vandalism attacks at the stadium over the close season and we find this utterly disgraceful and completely disheartening.

“We are trying to build a football club the town can be proud of but this task becomes more difficult when we keep having to divert funds away from football development and improving facilities to keep repairing damage and replacing items that are stolen.”

Anyone with any information about the thefts is asked to call police on 101.