LANARKSHIRE DERBY: HAMILTON MOTHERWELL

PETER HARTLEY has slammed the state of Hamilton’s synthetic surface ahead of his first taste of the Lanarkshire derby but defended their right to have one.

The English defender went to watch Accies against Rangers before the international break and could not believe how bad the pitch was.

Hartley reckons it will be detrimental to both teams and insists 3G or 4G playing areas are not good for the long-term health of players.

But he believes that Motherwell can maintain their impressive start to the season to consolidate their position in the top half.

The 29-year-old said: “I went to the Hamilton-Rangers game last week and it didn’t look great at all.

“I know it was a 4-1 win but I was expecting more from Rangers…but then you look at the surface and think ‘What more can they do?’

“It’s a strange surface. You think the ball will zip but it bobbles. It hits those little rubber crumbs.

“I have never really played a game on it. They only have it at Conference level in England.

“I have trained on it quite a lot in the winter and it kills your legs.

“You’ve got to think that the players who are doing that every other week don’t get any benefit from it.

“It feels like you have played two games when you wake up on a Sunday.

V“I can’t speak for other players but I don’t agree with the AstroTurf pitches.

“I think all football should be played on grass and you have to deal with the conditions.

“I don’t understand why they are bringing these pitches in – it’s not good for your joints, your Achilles when you jump and land, and you get more injuries.

“But you have to deal with it – it’s a challenge that we have to overcome.

“I’m not surprised these pitches are allowed in Scotland, because of the weather conditions.

“There could be a big backlog of games and I don’t know what other options there are out there.”

Hartley has played in a number of derbies over his playing career at Hartlepool, Stevenage and Chesterfield but the craziest one was when he played Bristol Rovers against Exeter.

HARTLEY said: “The floodlights went out during the game. It was one of those moments when you just stop and look around.

“All the Plymouth fans got their phones out, put on the lights and started singing, ‘Don’t Worry About a Thing’.

“The pitch was in darkness but you had 18,000 phones trying to light it up. It was amazing, phenomenal.

“I played in the Devon derby four or five times and only lost once.

“At Hartlepool, we beat Carlisle a few times and it was the same with Stevenage against Peterborough.

“I don’t want to get too carried away but my record is good.

“Being the type of player, I am, I like a fight and a scrap on the pitch and that’s what derbies generally are. Do the basics well and you tend to win the game.”

“It’s a massive week for the club with the semi-final next week so hopefully we can start it with a win over Hamilton.

“I talk a lot on the pitch and that comes from experience and know-how, having played so many games.

“You have to understand your job and make sure everyone else is doing theirs.

“We have a young team and they need to know their jobs.

“I feel that me and Carl McHugh, as captain, need to make sure that’s happening. If 8/10 outfield players do that we have a chance of winning.”