After a season of exceptionally high winter rainfall, Craig and his team have coped tremendously well to keep the Ashton Gate playing surface in pristine condition. Preston North End took the Sky Bet League One top honour, with City and Rotherham United both being highly commended. Doug Harman, City chief executive, said: "We should all be very proud of what Craig and his team have achieved during a particularly poor winter. The pitch is continually praised by those who visit Ashton Gate, and rightly so. This accolade is richly deserved." Middlesbrough and Fleetwood Town were the Championship and League Two winners respectively. The Football League’s Groundsman of the Year Awards are determined initially using marks from referees and away managers for each Sky Bet Football League game and are then followed by detailed pitch inspections and a review of management operations. Fans around me in the Atyeo were commenting on Good Friday that the pitch looks superb. Well done everyone on the ground staff.
