Ashford owner Don Crosbie is to campaign for tougher regulation of grass pitches.

Crosbie feels they should be subject to the same annual testing as artificial surfaces and says he doesn’t care if that makes him unpopular.

The Nuts & Bolts spent thousands on their 3G pitch after it failed to make the grade this summer.

It was cleared for action after passing a retest and Crosbie says it’s time the authorities toughened up on grass.

Clubs are expected to keep grass pitches in good order under the FA’s standardised rules but that isn’t enough in Crosbie’s eyes.

“We’ve played on some awful grass pitches but there’s no certification,” he said. “I think to myself, this isn’t fair.

“I’m going to campaign to have all pitches certified, grass as well as 3G, because I think it’s important at our level.

“The FA have told me there is a code of conduct for grass pitches but who adheres to it?

“When I asked them who controls grass pitches, they said they’re checked every week by the referee and if the referee deems them fit to play on, it’s fine.

“That’s rubbish, absolute garbage, but there you go.

“We played on three grass pitches in five weeks in pre-season and the start of the season and had three injuries where boys have twisted their ankle, rolled their ankle or pulled a hamstring because of rock-hard, bumpy, concrete, grassless pitches.

“These boys earn a living, they’re plumbers, electricians, and they can’t go to work. Do you think that’s fair?

"Making them play on these pitches where there’s no registration, no certification, I think is tough. It’s diabolical, to be honest."

The need for tougher regulation of grass pitches is a cause Crosbie feels strongly about and if his campaign ruffles a few feathers, so be it.

“Everybody who knows me knows I’m not interested in being popular,” he added.

“Sometimes in life you need someone to put their head above the parapet to get things changed for the better.

“It’s all right clubs saying, ‘oh, it’s going to cost a lot of money’. Listen, you talk about money, go and put a 3G pitch down and maintain it, then you’re talking about a lot of money.

“The onus on you to get it tested every year for a couple of thousand quid, and maintain it, that’s a lot of money.

“And yet grass pitches, you can chuck a bit of grass seed down and that’s it, leave it till the spring and hope no one gets injured.

“I just think, no, it’s got to be more scientific than this. It’s got to be.”