Loyal Stanley fans brought portable heaters in a bid to defrost the turf – after the Crown Ground was hit by the big freeze.

Dozens of fans answered a plea for heaters by the club after a section of the pitch became frozen.

But their efforts were to no avail, as the Reds’ match with Burton Albion was still called off on Tuesday night.

Stanley chief executive Rob Heys said: "We had a good take-up with it and on Tuesday we had around 10 to 15 people coming down with various heaters.

"The fans have been pulling together to help the club, as they always do when we are up against it."

David Heys, at Allspeeds, Clayton-le-Moors, which donated a heater to the cause, said: "We heard about the situation and we had a heater here which was going spare.

"We have a history of supporting the club here, for example, we bought season tickets at the start of the season so staff who support them can go.

"We were very happy to try to do our bit and help out."