The Football Association announced the £90,000 work after comments about the state of the pitch during the Carling Cup Final and England’s recent friendly against Egypt.

An FA spokesman told the Times: "The groundstaff did very well to stage the Carling Cup, despite around 80mm of rain in the week with a further 40mm the night before the match, and they used a canopy to shield the pitch from the rain on Saturday night and on Sunday. They worked round the clock and could not have done more.

"Conditions were better ahead of the England match but the pitch was still not good enough for our liking. Ultimately it has not fared well through what has been an extremely harsh winter and it needs to be replaced. The stadium caters for football and non-football events, so replacing the pitch more than once a year is the reality of a multipurpose venue.


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