Theartificial dodgersare agitatingto shunplastic

THERE could be little doubt that the big shock in the fixtures last weekend came at the Almondvale Stadium, where the Lions beat Celtic 1-0.

Perhaps ‘shock’ is too harsh. The word ‘surprise’ should maybe be used instead but whatever word we employ, there is no doubt that Celtic’s record at that ground has been disappointing, to say the least, with various reasons being put forward for the club’s less that sparkling performances over the years.

One of them, of course, is the pitch, which in Livingston is of the artificial variety, a surface not to the liking of many players whose clubs play on normal grass.

A few years ago, I found out just how strong this dislike was.

A friend of mine, Frank McGarvey, the former Celtic striker, had been asked to take a team of ex-Celts down to Ayrshire to face a Rangers side in what is sarcastically called an Old Crocks Match and asked if I would like to help.

I was happy to oblige and a good crowd saw a competitive encounter on an excellent grassy pitch, some good football on show from players who had only recently hung up their boots.

After the match, there was a tea and biscuits session with the audience getting the chance to ask questions of the players.

One of these, of course, was about artificial surfaces.

Now, I must admit that my knowledge of such surfaces is limited. I’ve run coaching courses on them but never played an actual match, which is a different matter altogether.

That afternoon, though, the comments about artificial surfaces were plentiful, critical and very strong. Occasionally, the response was even stronger, one player being almost condemnatory, another suggesting that they were unfair to teams that did not play on them every week. It was quite an illuminating afternoon.

None of the this week’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals were played on artificial surfaces, so teams which do not like them had no reason to complain.

Perhaps calling it a ‘shock’ is too harsh for Celtic’s Livingston loss. The word is maybe ‘surprise’