The opportunity to walk across the Edgar Street playing surface at this afternoon's Open Day was enough to prove that the work carried out by the new ground staff has been a resounding success.
Manager, Jamie Pitman, said "this is the best I've seen it in all my time here and we've spent less money this year than in previous close seasons."
"They took turf samples that showed a good root structure so the effort has been about getting rid of the uneven under-surface and thickening the grass"
Kenny Lunt confirmed that there had been a great improvement: - "a football pitch can be made to look good by growing a lush grass but if the surface under the grass is bumpy then it's something that the fans don’t see."
"A bobbling ball or an uneven bounce can be the thing that wins or loses a match." There won't be many better surfaces than this one."
Asked about the narrowing of the pitch, Jamie Pitman said that there were some footballing reasons behind the decision but a major factor was the desire to make the full width of the match visible from all spectator areas.
"I've always been aware that there were points in both the stands and under the Cargill where it wasn't possible to see the whole pitch."
“Hopefully these changes will help make the matchday experience better for the fans."