Crusaders v Saints preview

Last updated : 01 August 2010 By Stuart Gillespie

Artificial surfaces are not something I'm a big fan of, certainly for professional football. The surface Hamilton had a few years ago was a bit of a joke and it's no surprise the SPL told them to rip it up and put some grass down when they got promoted. However, the surface at Seaview is supposed to be the latest and it will be interesting to see what developments there have been in the last few years.

It's likely the Saints side will be much changed from the one that started against Ballymena United yesterday. The likes of Hugh Murray, Steven Thomson and Michael Higdon didn't start so are likely to be in from the off, with players such as Garry Brady and Gareth Wardlaw making way. The injured Lee Mair will once again be missing, while Marc McAusland is also likely to be on the sidelines along with David Barron.

I know very little about Crusaders, although their website says their nickname is the Hatchetmen, which doesn't bode particularly well! They finished fourth in the table and also won a trophy, although there seemed to be plenty of them on offer. On that basis, this should be tougher than the game against Ballymena.