WARNING! Don't invite Doug Metcalfe to a dinner party ... unless one of your main interests is grass.

"I can talk about how a pitch grows for hours," he admitted.

Burnley's likeable stadium manager, though, could probably hold a discussion about any subject you care to mention. Just as long as it isn't Chico.

In fact, he almost grimaces at the mere mention of the name.

To say the one-time X Factor contestant caused a stir when it was announced he was to appear at Turf Moor, before and during the half-time break of the home match with Crystal Palace last year, is an understatement.

But does Doug regret inviting a figure that proved so controversial in football circles to entertain' the crowd?

No, not really.

"I was looking after Chico on the day and went out onto the pitch with him," he said.

"He was a great guy and fantastic with the kids and people that he met in the James Hargreaves Stand.

"He tried his hardest to engage (the fans) but a football fan is a football fan.

"Any PR is good PR though and people are still talking about Chico, whether it be derogatory or not. It's something we tried and we've learnt from it."

The same could be said for all forms of matchday entertainment that the club have ventured into, from keepy-uppy king Daniel Magnus to the heliosphere (or in layman's terms an acrobat dangling from a giant balloon).

"We've really dipped our toe in the water of that one," he said. "Some things haven't worked, some things have, and hopefully people will understand that.

"We're not trying to change the fact that people come here to watch football, but we have to engage with our future fans.

"Seven to eight is a key age when they are going to decide on an allegiance. There is peer pressure at school and media bombardment.

"We are trying, at the moment, to gear entertainment towards that age group.

"It certainly worked on the first game of the season against West Bromwich Albion. There was such a feelgood factor and all this different kind of carnival entertainment.

"Hopefully, next season, people will see the reaction of what we've learned from."

Doug, it seems, is learning all the time.

The 39-year-old was initially appointed Burnley's facilities manager in December 2005, after working for an aerospace engineering company, progressing onto the senior management team the following year.

Kendal-born, he qualified in construction at university, and believes a non-football background has its advantages in terms of having a fresh outlook on particular projects.

His initial job description was to cater for the needs of the stadium, the pitch, the Gawthorpe training ground and the leisure centre, specifically in terms of maintenance and introducing stringent health and safety procedures.

As stadium manager, his remit includes overseeing the running of matchdays, ongoing upkeep, and refurbishment projects, as well as being heavily involved in the Turf Moor redevelopment.

"It's a good time to be at the club. A fantastic time, because in three to five years the face of the football club is going to be completely different," he said.

"The senior management team gets an important say in how the club operates from that point of view.

"A new dawn' is going to be a phrase that will be used a lot more than what we think with a new manager, new ground.

"But I think there is a new approach to the football club, a new style and way forward. There's quite a buzz, and the vision of the club is so, so different.

"People probably don't realise how different it will be, in a positive way.

"We've got renovation work to do on the pitch too.

"Any groundsman or stadium manager wants the longest period available.

"We lost about four or five weeks off our close season last year because of the England B game, so the renovation couldn't start until the following Monday.

"With pre-season friendlies coming into the equation as well in July, we had the bare minimum time to get the pitch ready."

But it was a fair sacrifice for putting Burnley on the map, and Doug was proud of such a memorable night.

"The international was such a good-natured game.

"A higher percentage of people who came weren't Burnley fans - they came from all over the north west, and there were fears that there would be congestion issues because it was a sell-out," he said.

"But we worked hard with the FA and it went off smoothly, and the England camp were delighted with it, which was pleasing.

"It was big for the town, bringing England to Burnley, and it shows we can do it.

"We've done the Under 20s before and Under 21s.

"We've had different levels here and proved we can host them, so there's no reason why they shouldn't come back to us.

"But this season we're in a better position to do a little bit more work on the pitch.

"We're trying to tackle the three key areas and reconstruct those - they are the Cricket Field Stand goalmouth, the patch in front of the home dug-out and the patch in front of the away dug out, on top of the renovation work that goes on anyway.

"We are digging out three sections and reconstructing the pitch. New drainage. The undersoil heating has to come out in that area as well because it's all being re-seeded. Then it will be replaced.

"We would spend £600,000 on a new pitch in an ideal world.

"We know we've got issues with the pitch but we are managing it.

"We've got a new ground staff structure now and the efforts of the lads have shown we can do it.

"They are unsung heroes who do a lot of work behind the scenes that goes un-noticed.

"They are tucked away at Gawthorpe for much of the week and seen for 10 minutes here at half-time.

"But we've learned from previous postponements.

"We had two postponements last season but it's a credit to the groundstaff that we haven't had any, due to the weather, this year.

"We've probably had a wetter winter and spring. Conditions have been extremely poor again, which is a sign of the times. Global warming is going to cause havoc!"

It's at that point he fears the worst of any fellow dinner party guests.

"My wife goes scatty with me," he said.

"I always look out of the window at 3am before a Saturday game and I'm constantly checking weather forecasts on the day and in the build-up to a game then we can assess whether the pitch will need covers or wet treatments.

"It's similar to Formula 1 tyres in many ways. Getting the strategy right ... and the timing is key."