IT was all hands to the snow shovels as Saints top brass joined in the massive team effort to clear the pitch before tonight’s game against Salford.

Between 50 and 100 supporters and staff answered an S.O.S. (Sweep Our Snow) from Saints to make sure the game goes ahead, despite the best efforts of the wintry weather to defeat it.

They shovelled and swept snow clear and then banded together to pull away covers that had been protecting the pitch.

Among the crew were Saints chief Mike Rush, media man Mike Appleton, head of sales Dave Hutchinson and a host of other backroom staff.

Among the volunteers was Micky Hitchen, 43, a firefighter at Warrington station. He spent nearly three hours clearing the pitch after spotting Saints’ plea for help on Facebook.

Micky, from Burtonwood, said: “It’s all about coming together to help out. I won’t even be going to tonight’s game as my wife’s not well so I will be with her – but when I realised they needed help I thought let’s get down there.”

Andrew Dingsdale, 32, a Saints steward and Liverpool St Helens rugby union club groundsman, added: “As soon as I saw they needed volunteers I headed down. I want to make sure the game goes ahead.

“It’s heartwarming to see everyone pulling together.”

As a gesture of goodwill the club gave tickets to tonight’s fixture to the volunteers, who worked in a bitterly cold wind, sleet and snow.

Rush, who had a spell in charge of the first team last year, mucked in by brushing away the snow and directing volunteers.

He praised the effort: “I want to say a huge thank you to those who answered our call for help. It underlines that we are a community club at heart.

“We’ve had dads, mums, players from the under 19s and people who have come straight from work all down here. 

“And the staff have been brilliant too. You wouldn’t see many workplaces where they all come out in the cold like this to help out.”