For the first time in the history of the FA Cup, the finalists have been given the opportunity to train on the Wembley pitch on Friday, immediately prior to Saturday's final. However, the sessions will coincide with three other events; The East of England Dog Show, Monster Truck Madness, and The Brent and District Scouts Car Boot Sale.
Wembley Stadium management said that it was too late to cancel the other events, but they hoped it would not interfere with the training to any great extent.
"We'll be putting some straw down to protect the pitch, and a few rubber mats. It's not as though we have double booked for the actual final," they said, "and we are sure we can clean up any mess before Saturday afternoon."
The offer of training on the pitch was made in answer to criticism of the playing surface. Players will now be able to go out for a slide around so that they can decide on the best studs for the match in advance.
Chelsea captain John Terry has shrugged off an injury and is expected to be 100% fit for the match. Along with his signature football boots and a selection of studs, he is planning to take a pair of spiked golf shoes and some all-terrain trekking boots to Wembley just in case. However, an insider at the club tells us that he is also going to experiment with a pair of blade-style boots, but with a single thin blade that runs the length of the sole. Terry hopes to extend the distance of his trademark sliding tackles to new limits using the new boots.
Problems with the surface have been blamed on frequent re-laying of the pitch and an unstable micro-climate within the stadium. However, Wembley ground staff have said recently that after months of work they believe they have the problems solved, and they hope that the pitch will be in absolutely perfect condition, ready for Green Day's concert on June 19th.
