Talk of artificial surfaces inevitably brings to mind the aptly-named 'plastic' pitches of the 1980's which were in place at Queens Park Rangers, Luton Town and Oldham Athletic and which differed markedly from their grass equivalents.
Time and moves on of course and advances in pitch technology have seen clubs explore the possibility of installing such a surface and being able to play their league games on it.
Accrington Stanley chief executive Rob Heys told the BBC: "There is an income to be gained from hiring the pitch out and money to be saved in maintenance costs and the fact that you can train on it.
"The community benefit is that you can get people down to the ground seven days a week rather than just 23 times a season for home fixtures."
For a League Two side like Stanley or the Cobblers the installation of such a surface could mean the difference between staying in existence or going under but would it be against the spirit of the game and give those sides with an artificial pitch an unfair advantage?
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15722636.stm
Source: FOOTYMAD
