FOOTBALL
Getting Personal Michael
Merriman - he’s done OK for a daft lad!
Who are you? Michael Merriman. Head Groundsperson at Mansfi eld Town FC.
Family status. Married to Zoe.
Who’s your hero and why? Anyone that goes to work for a living.
What’s been the highlight of your grounds career so far? Liverpool at home in the FA Cup.
If your younger self saw you now, what would he think? Wow - done OK for a daft lad!
Which famous people wind you up? Piers Morgan, he is always right.
What job would you love, other than your own? Liverpool Head Groundsman.
What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? Forgetting the shirts for an away game when I did the kit as well.
What is your favourite fi lm? Kez.
What scares you? Life.
What would your autobiography be called… and who would play you in the fi lm? Mezski the Whole Truth played by Cillian Murphy.
What is your favourite sport? Football.
What would you cast into Room 101? Politics/cricket.
Which historical time and place would you most like to visit? London 1800s.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? Live as long as possible.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Mohamed Ali, Steven
74 PC December/January 2021
Gerrard, my grandad Merriman, he passed away when I was only fi ve.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Don’t let the bastards grind you down.
What’s your favourite piece of trivia? Did you know the loudest animal on earth is a sperm whale?
What’s your favourite smell? Geraniums.
Which three albums would you take to a desert island? Queen, Elvis and The Who’s - Quadrophenia.
What’s the daftest work- related question you have ever been asked? Why is it frozen when my garden is not?
What’s your favourite piece of kit? Verti-drain.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Grumpy, honest and loyal.
What is the single most useful thing you could tell a 16-year-old groundsperson? Listen and learn off the right people because everyone knows your job better than you.
What talent would you like to have? To play the piano.
What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? Life sentence/hanging for sex off enders.
covers to help get games on when frost is forecast and an SGL MU18 lighting rig which we use on the bottom goalmouth.”
Michael talks me through the seasonal maintenance of the stadium pitch from cutting heights to aeration. “We have an Allett Buff alo and an Allett C34 which we use to cut the pitch in the summer months, cutting at the height of 22mm seven days a week, depending on the weather. Then, around November time, I will lift the height of cut to 25mm for winter, and I tend to cut the pitch three times a week. At least once a month, I go over the pitch with our Charterhouse 7316 Verti- Drain - with 22mm tines at a depth of seven inches - to help relieve compaction in the surface and to get some air down into the profi le.
I also borrow a Toro ProCore 640 from another local club when it’s available to us.”
“This year, I have made use of the verti-cut unit in the C34 and the Allett scarifi er for the back of the tractor in the early season. We took four full trailer loads of organic matter and debris out of the pitch, and you would not even know we had done it as it was so thick the sward. We then gave the pitch a light verti-cut once a week up until recently to keep the surface clean. Three weeks ago, I overseeded the pitch with fi ve bags of a ryegrass mix with the dimple seeder to help us get through the winter months. The club buys their machinery outright, whether that be second- hand or new, when they require an upgrade or a replacement. PS Marsden in Nottingham carry
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