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FOOTBALL


Getting Personal


Michael Barrow - his granddad, football, sunday lunch and


biting his nails


Who are you? Michael Barrow, Head Groundsman, 30 years old.


Family status. Long term partner with a three-year-old son called Isaac.


Who’s your hero and why? My granddad. He introduced me to Chester City FC and playing cricket.


What would you change about yourself? Have more confidence in myself.


What’s your guilty pleasure? Cheshire chicken and ham pie.


What’s been the highlight of your career so far? Getting the Head Groundsman job at Chester.


What are your pet peeves? Fast feet.


If you could go anywhere right now, where would it be? Cyprus.


What’s the best part of your job? Matchday preparation.


… and the worst? Divoting.


Do you have a lifetime ambition? Head Groundsman with Chester playing League Football.


Favourite record, and why? Anything from the Killers, been to many concerts.


Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? My partner.


If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Go on a long holiday.


If you were to describe yourself as a musical instrument, what would you be and why? Drums, I used be the drummer in the crowd when I was younger.


78 PC December/January 2019


Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? George Best, Brandon Flowers and Sir Alex Ferguson.


Do you have any bad habits? Biting my nails. My partner point it out to me all the time lol.


... or any good ones? Precision.


Do you go to bed worrying about the next day’s workload? Yes, I am always thinking about what I’m up against tomorrow.


What are you reading at the moment? The Card, written by a supporter of the club.


What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Believe in yourself.


What’s your favourite smell? Sunday lunch.


What do you do in your spare time? Spend time with my family.


What’s the daftest work- related question you have ever been asked? When is the pitch going to start cutting up?


What’s your favourite piece of kit? Dennis G860.


What three words would you use to describe yourself? Hard working, conscientious and honest.


What talent would you like to have? Professional footballer.


What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? No warm-ups in the goalmouths.


It was very testing conditions with a


very hot summer and a four-week window until we played Liverpool


been using organic granular fertilisers with liquid seaweed and chelated iron products.” The club is doing well at present, lying sixth in the league and unbeaten at home at the time of writing. Michael has his fingers crossed that they can continue with this run of form all season and get themselves promoted, or at least be in the mix. This would help bring in extra revenue for next season. Ideally, he would like to koro off the pitch before next season, but this will all depend on the funds available at the time.


Michael believes more and


more pressure is being put on groundsmen in the lower tiers of football, with fans watching top flight football on TV and expecting their teams’ pitches to look the same.


“Fans have got to realise we don’t have the funds available to provide a similar surface, but we do our best with what we have. We try and provide the best surface possible, day in day out. People have got to look back at pitches of the past and appreciate that they have improved dramatically since then; we have some great quality surfaces now in non- league football.”





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