FOR Macclesfield Town head groundsman Mark Patterson, the grass is always greener on his side.
That's the verdict of 23 other clubs who played at the Moss Rose last season and voted his perfect pitch the best surface in division three.
In September he will do battle with Southampton, Ipswich Town and Hartlepool to decide the finest pitch in the league, but until then, Express Sport decided to take a closer look at one of the club's unsung heroes.
Mark, aged 24, came to the club as a teenager after nurturing a talent for gardening whilst working at a golf course. He studied advanced sports turf management on day release at college and has since overseen some dramatic changes on the pitch.
Gone are the muddy days of Conference football, replaced by lush green turf in mid-December, but Mark is quick to underline that many factors have influenced the quality of the surface over the years.
He said: "We are very proud of the pitch, and a lot of it is down to science, but it's just about the money you can invest in good equipment and the team I have got behind me."
"When I first arrived at the club, it was Macc's first as a league club but the pitch wasn't even up to Conference standards. We got promoted that year and because there were more games, it was obvious by Christmas that something had to be done."
Mark and his team agreed that a major overhaul of the drainage at Moss Rose was needed right away, and together with local firm Campey Turf Care Systems, set about rebuilding Moss Rose from the roots.
"Pitches used to be made of just soil and turf, which is why you used to see some of the muddy pitches on Match of the Day in the 60s and 70s. They used to say there was a lot more dribbling then, but that was because you couldn't pass the ball five yards without it getting stuck."
"Now we're relying on sand. Our pitch is about 90 per cent sand and 10 per cent soil so if you get a downpour it goes straight through."
"It also means it's very difficult to get grass to grow on there, so we are constantly having to feed it with fertilisers and nutrients."
Mark said that many fans ask him whether the job of head groundsman is actually full time, but a glimpse into his working diary puts pay to any doubts.
"Supporters arrive at 2.50pm and the players get here at 1pm and some of them think it just happens, but a lot of hard work goes into the pitch during the week," he said.
"We're here every day, especially if there is a midweek game or a reserve match on a Wednesday."
"On a match day we start at 8am marking and rolling the pitch and setting the nets up. We replace all the divots and make quick repairs after the warm-up, at half time and after the game and we finally finish at about 6.30pm."
So how will Macc fair against the megabucks environments of the St Mary's Stadium and Portman Road when the judges make their decision at Windsor Racecourse in six weeks time?
"I'd like to think we've got a good chance," said Mark. "When you see that Southampton's ground has beaten off the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal you see the quality of pitch we're up against."
"But we're proud of it, and I have always said in any sport whether it be cricket or golf - the better the surface, the better the standard of sport."
Macclesfield Town FC