FOOTBALL
Mansfi eld Town Football Club was formed in 1897 and, since the end of the First World War, have played their football at the 9,186 capacity One Call Stadium. Nicknamed ‘The Stags’ (after the old borough’s coat of arms) the team compete in League Two of the English Football League and, at the time of writing, were languishing close to the relegation zone. However, as any good manager will tell you, there’s plenty of time to go and the club remain hopeful of retaining their league status. Lee Williams caught up with Head Groundsman Michael Merriman over the phone to chart his twenty-two years’ service
and no houses were being built, he had to fi nd another career path. “I took up painting and decorating, which lasted just six months after I found out I was not a fan of the double ladders when working on the gable end of a house in 80mph winds! I knew there and then that it wasn’t the job for me. I then went to Metal Box, making biscuit tins for Marks & Spencer and Glenfi ddich, but that was only a temporary position. I then got a job at Simpson Wright & Lowe Ltd packing tights on nights for Marks & Spencer. It was good money to be fair, but the company moved its business abroad as the labour was cheaper, leaving me to go and sign on. I saw an advert for football coaching and I thought, I play a bit of football, I will see what it is all about. The position was with Football in the Community at Mansfi eld Town. I had
A
fter leaving school, Michael Merriman undertook a two- year youth training scheme in construction but, when the bottom fell out of the industry
been doing that for a year and a half when the club took on Rob Sprigg as their new head groundsman and my name was put forward by the community coaches to be his assistant. I started with Rob on £70 a week. Back then, it was just a matter of cutting and divoting the main pitch, and the training pitch at the back of the ground, as we had very little money for feed etc.” In the days when Michael fi rst started his career in groundsmanship, the team would get changed in the home team dressing room for daily training. “One of my jobs was to fi ll up the big bath as there were no showers. Once the players had spruced themselves up and left for the day, I had to empty it and scrub it out for the next day; and that is how my journey at the club started! I was with Rob for seven years then, when he left, the chairman at the time gave me the Head Groundsman job, which I have now been in for the last fi fteen years.” In my days at Oldham Athletic, I would often see Michael and have a chat in the
Many people still think we just cut grass for a living, but if you look at the pitches from now to ten years ago, it is amazing how much they have come on
PC December/January 2021
71
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