The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Pars train on artificial surface
Stevie Crawford has revamped Dunfermline’s training schedule in a bid to ensure they are ready for Queen of the South’s artificial surface.
The quality of plastic pitches in the SPFL has been put under the microscope this week after Motherwell full-back Jake Carroll lambasted Livingston’s 4G following an ugly 0-0 draw between the sides.
Palmerston Park’s artificial turf is another which splits opinion among players and coaches.
Crawford is adamant he will not use the lack of grass as an excuse this weekend, before revealing that the Pars switched training to an artificial grass surface in Dalgety Bay yesterday in a bid to become accustomed to the difference.
They will train on that pitch again tomorrow ahead of their trip to Dumfries.
“Not playing on grass the ball travels differently, bounces differently and can run away from you quickly,” said Crawford. “There are aspects that you need to overcome.
“It’s not something that I’ll ever use as an excuse. We know what we are up against,” he said, adding that Queen of the South aren’t the only team in the Championship with an artificial surface.
“We need to adapt to that and we’ll focus positively on what we can do.”
Crawford accepts the financial realities behind the swathe of artificial surfaces in Scottish football, including Livingston, Kilmarnock and Hamilton in the Premiership, given they can be hired out to the community and become an events hub.
Nevertheless, it is not something he would welcome at East End Park if chairman Ross McArthur saw it as a viable way forward.
“I understand that sometimes in Scotland the finances play a big part in decisions. If it helps clubs to go down that route, then so be it,” he added.
“I’m more concerned about what we do at Dunfermline. If the chairman sits down and has a conversation with me about putting Astro-Turf down, then we might have different views on the matter,” he said.