Douglas Higginbottom wrote:When Middlesboro played the last round there the pitch looked poor after loads of rain but I thought the ball rolled pretty well and there seemed minimal if any problem with the pitch and it didn't seem to cut up too badly. Dry weather , as we have had , might make it more bobbly and difficult but I think far too much is being made of it as a problem.
No doubt the media will hype it up tho as well as the facts they can quote about how much we cost in comparison to Newport
Ask any professional player and they will tell you that a shit pitch affects every aspect of playing good footballFootball's purists will be looking forward to this weekend's FA Cup fixtures, where potential potholes await the high and mighty.
For instance, the meeting between fourth-tier League Two Newport County and English Premier League champions Manchester City certainly provides the David versus Goliath encounter which is at the heart of the world's oldest club competition.
At Newport's Rodney Parade ground, there are potholes literally waiting for Pep Guardiola's multi-million pound squad, who are used to the pristine surfaces of their own Etihad Stadium and EPL venues.
Until a few years ago, Rodney Parade was used exclusively for rugby and with a capacity below 8,000.
Leicester City have already been beaten by Newport this season and Championship (second-tier) club Middlesbrough certainly struggled in the mud during their defeat in South Wales in their fourth-round replay.
Newport striker Padraig Amond, who scored when they beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in the replay, is hoping that the uneven pitch will do them a favour.
"We have to use all the advantages we can get, the bobbly pitch - we have to use that," said the Irishman.
"We should try and get a couple (of rugby fixtures) on there. We might get a rugby game on to make it interesting."