PLYMOUTH Argyle boss Derek Adams likened the Roots Hall pitch to a ‘rugby field’ following Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Southend United.

Adams’ side produced an improved second half performance to secure a share of the spoils.

But the Scotsman admitted he would have done things differently from the start if he had known just how bad the surface was going to be.

“If I knew the pitch was going to be this bad I wouldn’t have picked the team I did,” said Adams.

“We ended up having to go direct because you couldn’t pass the ball on it.

It’s more like a rugby field than a football one.

“It was cutting up in the warm up and it wasn’t a pretty game to watch.

“We had to do what Southend did to us in the first half in the second and in the end I thought a draw was fair.”

Blues boss Phil Brown also expressed his concerns about the pitch but hopes it will have improved by the time his team host Rochdale at the start of September.

“It’s a small but important issue which hopefully will be resolved by the time we play Rochdale,” said Brown.

“We’ve worked at it since the last home game and it’s getting better but it’s still coming up in large clumps, “It’s a concern but we played enough decent football to have won the game and it’s not the surface which has cost us, it was a lack of finishing.”

The pitch appeared to cut up early on against Plymouth.

But Blues midfielder Michael Timlin was reluctant to use that as an excuse for failing to beat the Pilgrims.

“We’ve known since pre-season that the pitch didn’t seem to be in the best condition,” said Timlin.

“It’s frustrating because the pitch in the past few seasons has been extremely good.

“It’s always held up throughout the season but we’re having issues with it now.

“It slowly seems to be getting better but we just have to deal with it.

The longer the game goes on it zaps your energy.

“The ground is spongy so it feels like you’re running more than you are but we’re a fit group and we can’t use it as an excuse because the other teams are having to come and play on it too.”