Ferguson must suffer surface tension

When Dunfermline Athletic unveiled their artificial pitch two seasons ago, Ian Rush and Jean-Pierre Papin turned up to endorse the Uefa-backed project, but neither could score in a special penalty competition that day. That surface has now been torn up and replaced - but if Rangers fail to find the net at East End Park today, it would rip their title dreams apart.

When Dunfermline Athletic unveiled their artificial pitch two seasons ago, Ian Rush and Jean-Pierre Papin turned up to endorse the Uefa-backed project, but neither could score in a special penalty competition that day. That surface has now been torn up and replaced - but if Rangers fail to find the net at East End Park today, it would rip their title dreams apart.

Victory is so essential that Barry Ferguson will be asked to play for Rangers despite being told by doctors to avoid synthetic pitches after a two-year battle against a persistent groin injury.

The Scotland captain had to miss out while his team-mates prepared for their trip to Dunfermline by staging practice matches in midweek on Rangers' own indoor pitch at their training complex. However, the shock defeat inflicted by Dundee United last Tuesday at Ibrox means that Alex McLeish's side have now handed the initiative back to Celtic in the home straight in the race for the Scottish Premier League.

The Old Firm have been the biggest critics of Dunferm-line's pitch. Martin O'Neill refused to risk Craig Bellamy on it in February, while McLeish has had little love for it since his side lost there last season. Although Dunferm-line replaced the original controversial surface last month with a new, lusher version called Field Turf, the entire project could be banished at an SPL board meeting on Thursday.

"It's significant that no footballers like it," said McLeish. "Nor do technical staff like it. It surprises me that the chairmen of some clubs are making decisions above the football people because they are the ones who matter most."

"It does not matter what the new surface is like. There is a possibility of injury, long term. I can see lawsuits happening in the future."

Dunfermline's need for cash to ease the club's £7m debt was behind the move to plastic. The income from daily rental to amateur footballers, along with a Uefa grant for being one of four clubs to experiment - the others are in Sweden, Russia and Holland - was tempting.

McLeish spoke to Keith Armstrong, the English manager of HJK Helsinki, whose side have now used an artificial pitch for three seasons, and that strengthened the Rangers manager's stance. "He says that their players abhor it. Their physios' opinions are that it could take four years off a player's career. Keith said he had between six and eight players out every week, with Achilles injuries particularly significant. Another point is it could deter foreign players from coming here."

Even Dunfermline's players are not too keen on the green, green grass of their ersatz home. "Some players like it, some don't, though all of them agree that it is a big improvement on the previous version," said Jim Leishman, the club's director of football.

"The big debate is whether it is ready for competitive football. Our problem is that we were probably a year or two early with the surface that we installed. I've no doubt that these surfaces will continue to improve, and eventually there will be an artificial surface which is as good as grass."