Blackpool v Sheffield Wednesday: Wounded Owls ready for their pitch battle

The pitch issue at Bloomfield Road has raised its head countless times this season with the atrocious state of the surface the talk of the Championship – along with the state of the Hillsborough pitch after new owner Dejphon Chansiri pledged to spend £1m to rectify it this summer.

For the time being, it is a case of having to put up with it at both venues, which makes free-flowing football somewhat at a premium.

For Wednesday, it is a case of plus ca change, given the fact that they have had to negotiate the poor surface at S6 for several months.

It certainly will not be used as an excuse against the Championship’s bottom side, according to Will Keane, whose main concern is the Owls engineering a positive response after the disappointing 2-1 home reverse to Blackburn on Wednesday.

He said: “We need to get ourselves together and go again. We know the games come around very quick, so we need to learn from Wednesday and put it behind us.

“We will be used to the (Blackpool) pitch, so that is not going to faze us. We have just got to try and be positive and turn it around.”

Stuart Gray is not sidetracked by pitch matters either, with the Owls’ head coach far more concerned with his side starting with intent from minute one against Blackpool today and not after 45 minutes as was the case in midweek.

Gray said: “With their first 45-minute performances, far too many are giving the shirt away.”