WORK to repair the much-maligned Valley Parade pitch will begin in a fortnight.

Contractors will move in on May 13 to start a ten-day programme of improvements that City hope will restore the playing surface to its former glory.

The state of the pitch has been heavily criticised this season and former Sunderland boss Gus Poyet called it "one of the worst in the country" before his side's FA Cup defeat.

Chief executive officer James Mason said: "We can't ignore the fact the pitch has been poor over the last few months.

"We've got used to playing on it but Phil (Parkinson) and all of us would much prefer a lush green surface.

"Phil's built a brand of football and footballers that play on good pitches – you see that when we go up and down the country.

"We need to make the Coral Windows Stadium not just a fortress in terms of the fans and atmosphere but on the field we need to give them the best opportunity.

"When you've got players like Billy Knott, Filipe Morais and Billy Clarke, they want to have the confidence to know that the ball is going to run true."

The top will be shaved off the pitch to get rid of the thatch, a process known as koroing, and more than 200 tonnes of fibre sand will be laid. Drainage work will also go on in two specific areas.

With the final home game played last weekend, Valley Parade will not be used for any amateur cup finals or charity matches. That will give the pitch time to settle properly before hosting any pre-season friendly.

Mason said: "The irony is that in recent years we've won awards for how good our pitch has been. So for it to be so bad this season has been a shame.

"There are various mitigating factors and a run of games played on it in bad weather didn't help. But that's not the sole reason. Things have gone wrong somewhere.

"There's definitely going to be investment on it now to get it back to where it was."

Facilities manager David Dowse added: "Our plan going forward will be to 'koro' the pitch every year and turn it every three."