Carlisle United’s groundstaff have been hailed for the “incredible” effort that removed huge amounts of flood water from the Brunton Park pitch.

The Blues took just six-and-a-half hours to clear the playing surface of water that was 14 inches deep in some places.

The remarkable job has given tonight’s FA Youth Cup tie against Doncaster a chance of going ahead, with coaches and staff set to assess the pitch this morning.

And United said the nearby flood barriers prevented a repeat of the huge 2005 floods which saw the pitch completely submerged and out of action for several weeks.

United used five industrial pumps to clear the water yesterday and, after starting work at 10am, had cleared it entirely by 4.30pm. With about two-thirds of the pitch having been under water, Carlisle’s media officer Andy Hall said the groundstaff, led by David Mitchell, worked tirelessly.

He said: “The area around the halfway line, which had been under six to eight inches of water, was firm underfoot once it had cleared.

“You wouldn’t know that anything had been on it, which was incredible.

“We were confident because we know how thorough and professional our groundstaff are, but there always has to be an element of doubt when you consider the volume of water, which was 14 inches at his deepest.

“For that to be completely removed in six-and-a-half hours is absolutely fantastic.”

Images of United’s pitch under water brought back memories of the devastating 2005 Carlisle floods, which affected the entire pitch, caused damage to the stadium and forced

United to play two home matches away from Brunton Park.

Hall said a similar situation could easily have happened without the flood defences that were installed afterwards.

He added: “It’s the first time in 10 years that the flood gates adjacent to Stonyholme and the ground have been closed. That was in response to the level of warning from the Environment Agency.

“Had they not been here we could have been looking at another major incident. They prevented us being hit as hard as we were in 2005.

“Fortunately the integrity of the building hasn’t been breached at all and, while the groundstaff are inspecting the area at the Waterworks End, we don’t think we have suffered any damage.

“All the water was on the pitch. Brunton Park sits in a natural bowl and when you get half a month’s expected rainfall in 48 hours, any drainage system is going to struggle and that water has to go somewhere. As for the youth game, if the pitch all recovers in the same manner as the middle third, we would be confident, but it all depends on the full pitch.”

Youth coaches Alan Moore and Vince Overson will assess the surface this morning, while Carlisle could call in a qualified local referee for an inspection if there is any doubt. The Doncaster tie is scheduled to kick-off at 7pm.

This weekend’s first-team home game against Portsmouth now seems certain to go ahead.