MELBOURNE Victory are resigned to playing Friday night’s A-League clash with Central Coast at North Sydney Oval despite major concerns over the playing surface.

Both coach Kevin Muscat and captain Mark Milligan have banged the drums of war over another lacklustre pitch in the lead-up to the match.

Muscat says it’s “unsafe” and has called for it to be moved. Milligan recalled the club’s Adelaide Oval experience, which led to “a lot of injuries after it”.

media_camera The Mariners took on Wellington Phoenix at North Sydney Oval last season.

But Football Federation Australia is adamant the pitch is suitable for A-League matches and will go ahead.

It’s understood ground staff have been fully briefed on the poor Adelaide Oval surface, where grass was cut too short and over-watered, in the hope of avoiding another poor spectacle.

North Sydney Oval has most recently been used for cricket matches, requiring a firm centre for pitches.

Muscat was as hard with his view as the cricket pitch in question when asked about it after beating Adelaide this weekend.

“My view is it shouldn’t be played there ... there’s a reason that the sports teams that are playing on it currently wear cricket spikes,” he said.

“It’s unsafe in my opinion.”

The Mariners are playing at the well-loved suburban ground as part of a push to grow their fan base.

Central Coast chairman and owner Mike Charlesworth said that expansion into northern Sydney was “vital to expand our geographic presence”.

“A catchment area of 100,000 people in Gosford and 300,000 on the Central Coast is not sustainable,” he said.

The Mariners also have a match against Adelaide scheduled early next year at Brookvale Oval, home of NRL club Manly.

Victory have played on two questionable A-League surfaces this season; round two in Adelaide and Hunter Stadium in the immediate aftermath of its relaying.

Both matches ended in draws, with Muscat tying the club’s underperformance and an injury to Jason Geria to the pitches.

Originally published as Victory reluctantly accept North Sydney edict