When can you first remember being interested in football?
I was born in Cleethorpes and remember watching Grimsby in the early 1970s when I was eight years old. Lawrie McMenemy was the manager and Grimsby were champions of the old fourth Division [now League 2].
Who was your favourite player in that team?
Matt Tees, the centre forward, who scored a lot of goals. Later it was a striker called Phil Hubbard, who signed from Norwich City.
When were you first involved with Grimsby Town?
In May 1980. My Grandad was a director and was doing voluntary work on the stand as a joiner. The Chairman asked him if he knew of anyone who might be interested in a Youth Training Scheme as an apprentice groundsman. My Grandad mentioned that I was 16 years old and leaving school shortly.
I wanted outdoor work and came down here for an interview with the secretary. I made it clear that groundsmanship was something I wanted to do. I started work as an apprentice groundsman a week later, working under head groundsman Frank Bridge and following his directions.
When did you become head groundsman here?
That was in 1993 when Frank Bridge retired. I was temporary head groundsman for a year to prove that I could do it. Then the club appointed me permanent head groundsman.
Sometimes. The referee tells me if he wants the floodlights on from the start of the game, or if there is a problem with markings or the nets. The home manager might want the pitch to be watered close to kick-off.
What do you do after the match?I lift up the goal nets, put out the floodlights and other lights around the ground and lock up my parts of the ground.
I leave the pitch until Monday when I repair the divots. I fill any deep holes with a sand/soil mixture, seed and water them. I also give the pitch a light cut and roll with the rotary cutter.What are your ambitions?
To produce a better pitch at Grimsby. This is a good club to work for and I would like to stay here and to work in a new stadium, which has been talked about for quite a while now. Ideally, the pitch would be a Desso pitch, which is the best you can get – grass supported by artificial plastic fibres. It would be good to have pop-up sprinklers, and under-soil heating, but that is very expensive. For the club, I would hope that Grimsby Town will progress up the leagues as far as the Championship again, and to move to a new stadium.
Mike Phillips
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Memory added on November 17, 2013
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