Its a brand new pitch, was relaid in the off season.
That is why they played a friendly at Ruskin drive
Looks like grass has not properly bedded in yet.
This by the way is i think the 3rd pitch saints have had since the stadium opened. The first one was the same as what a number of premier league soccer clubs have installed such as Chelsea. However i understand that the drainage was too good, and it meant that the pitch was really hard come the summer. Watering the pitch didnt really do much as it was just able to drain the water away. Hard pitches put more strain on joints and if there is no give, then there is a higher likelihood of ligament damage, not to mention it hurts more when you land on it, as its like falling on flags.
Just have to hope this pitch settles down otherwise it will need replacing again.