Town's Groundsman Alan Ferguson has been nominated for the Groundsman of the Year award. He is up against his Arsenal and Sunderland counterparts and must fancy his chances with Portman Road's surface like a billiard table these days.
Town manager George Burley said of Ferguson: "Alan has done a tremendous job with the pitch this season. As everyone is aware, we’ve had the wettest season in memory and Alan has kept the surface in excellent condition which is very important for our players to play good attractive football."
The nominations were based on the opinions of other Premiership clubs and also the views of referees. Top soil expert Dr Stephen Baker will make the final choice in April after visiting and examining all three pitches. Baker is Head of Soils and Sports Surface Science at the Sports Turf Research Institute and so must be regarded as a man who really knows grass inside out.
Fabian Wilnis is pleased that Town have such an attractive oitch to play on: "It really benefits our passing game to have a pitch in such good condition and it’s a credit to Alan and his staff that the pitch looks so good at this late stage of the season. All the effort they have put in to keep it looking so well has certainly paid off."