The GAA has assured football fans that the pitch at Croke Park will be ready today for the first fixtures since the monster U2 shows at the stadium last weekend.

Management at the grounds have been working under the tightest of schedules to lay down a new surface for the All-Ireland football quarter finals, which will see six county sides playing over two days.

A spokesman said the replacement pitch was now down and, while there was more work to be done, the association was confident Croke Park would be ready for today's fixtures.

Described as a "rye-mix surface" the covering is very similar to the turf it replaced.

The GAA spokesman added: "The laying of the new pitch was completed at 6pm on Thursday night. There's a bit of mowing to be done now. I'd say visually it looks a bit different to the last pitch because it had to be rolled out but it should be fine for the games."

Speaking earlier last week, Kildare player Dermot Earley, whose team meet Tyrone today, revealed his frustration at the uncertainty over the Croke Park pitch.

Earley (31) said: "The thing I would be worried about is what type of boots to wear," he said. "If you got a run out beforehand you could assess whether to wear six studs or moulded, which is a huge decision for footballers to make. You don't want to be slipping; you don't want to be getting blisters either."