Notts County FC has confirmed Saturday's (August 6) match against Fleetwood Town will go ahead after a "rare fungal disease" was found on the pitch.

The club said on Thursday (August 4) that an inspection would take place at their Meadow Lane ground ahead of the weekend to determine whether it would be safe to go ahead with the League Two fixture.

The Magpies said work had to be done to remove the disease - which originates in Europe and has also been found at other stadiums - before the match's go-ahead could be confirmed.

At the request of the English Football League (EFL), officials visited the site on Friday morning (August 5) and, after removing a significant amount of dead grass, said the pitch was safe for Saturday's fixture.

A spokesperson for the club said the fungal disease has taken hold as a result of this summer's warm and humid temperatures.

"The disease in question is a soil-based pathogen, which spreads rapidly and causes significant damage to perennial ryegrass," the club's representative added.

"This was identified earlier this week by our ground staff and subsequently verified by independent plant pathologists.

"Since the diagnosis, our grounds team have worked tirelessly to contain the issue and implement a recovery strategy - and we would like to stress that this highly unfortunate development is no fault of any individual or the club.

"We expect the pitch to make a steady recovery over the coming weeks". Saturday's match follows the Magpies' defeat against Lincoln - their first in four games.

Notts County have played at home three times at their Meadow Lane grounds, winning one, drawing one and losing one match. They scored seven times while conceding five goals in those matches.