FOR a brief second, Bury boss David Flitcroft dreamed of turning his back on management to put his boots back on.

Such was the effect of his first foray on to the new pitch at the JD Stadium, pictured above.

“I don’t really miss playing, but when you see the quality of surface, I would have done anything to play on that pitch,” he admitted.

Shakers chairman Stewart Day has forked out £150,000 on the new surface and upgrading the drainage. And while he has also made a raft of new signings, Flitcroft believes the pristeen new surface could be the most important introduction of the summer.

“At times last season, the pitch became a leveller for teams that didn’t want to play the ball on the ground,” he said.

“We have got to maintain it and look after it, but if it stays like this for the rest of the season then our pass selection and pass execution will be so much better.”