WORCESTER City have agreed a link-up with Pershore High School as a training base for the 2012-13 season.

The Blue Square Bet North club have been keen to find a dedicated training facility to protect the surface at St George’s Lane.

City used the school towards the end of last term as they sought to take the pressure off of their own pitch, which was also being used by Evesham United and for the Worcester and District League cup finals.

They will now use the Station Road site’s facilities, which include an all-weather 3G pitch, during pre-season and twice a week throughout the league campaign.

It should allow for easier maintenance of the Lane, particularly as the Robins are no longer tenants having moved to their new Jubilee Stadium in Cheltenham Road.

City’s assistant manager Matt Gardiner said: “From pre-season we will be there three times a week — Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday — until we get into the games. During the season we will go down to two training nights if we haven’t got a game.

“The lads like it, they are good facilities and the 3G pitch is easy on the joints. It takes us off our pitch as well.

“Last season we had to have the odd session at the Lane but now we will be just there for matches. It will be good for us because the improved condition of the pitch will help us play our passing game.”

As well as an artificial pitch, Pershore also offers changing rooms, a physiotherapy room and somewhere for Worcester to store balls and training cones without the need to make trips to the Lane.

In addition, its location is easily accessible from the M5 for players travelling from across the region, often straight from work and during the rush hour.

Before using the school, City had been struggling to find a regular place to train at short notice as local clubs and social groups pre-booked slots at venues such as Worcester’s Perdiswell Leisure Centre.

With that headache out of the way, the club are now hoping it will enable them to focus purely on football matters.

Gardiner added: “From the coaching perspective, it’s nice not to have to be ringing round for a place to train every week and we can concentrate on the important stuff.

“In pre-season last year we had five venues in six weeks which was a nightmare, it was really difficult to plan sessions.”