I have so much respect and such a great relationship with the gaffer but this has blown my mind. Feel really honoured and thankful for the kind words in the post match interview after tonight’s game. Makes all the hard work worth it to see the lads acknowledged and appreciated ❤️
Today I leave
@khfcofficial
and although I’m very sad to leave. When I was approached by
@LincolnCity_FC
to become their new Head Groundsman it was hard to say no to! Up the football league we go 😉
Renovations Complete
I’ve had a number of people ask me how we take the pitch from this to a professional football pitch. So going to tuna thread on here if each step/process for any imps fans who are curious and any fellow grounds people 🌱
Unfortunately Groundstaff don’t have the luxury of working from home. The grass don’t stop growing and when this is all over, everyone can’t wait to get back playing again. The work done now by groundstaff across the country will mean that the facilities will be ready when needed
✅ We've got a small workforce maintaining our facilities and pitches at...
🏟 Emirates Stadium
🏋️♂️ London Colney
🏫 Hale End
Thank you to all our staff who are working hard to ensure we'll be ready to go again as soon as possible ❤️
Huge contratulations to our apprentice
@ged_newman
who has nearly completed his Level 2. Ged was in charge of the stadium prep and running of the game for tonight’s FA Youth Cup match. Great effort! Well done mate 🌱
Rotary cut at Aggborough this morning. Down to the training ground this afternoon, to find a letter on my desk from the gaffer. Meant a lot to myself and the team.
@khfcofficial
@thegma_
⚽️👏🏻
All ready for the first game at the LNER Stadium today with the final pre season game against Blackburn Rovers. Still a bit stressed from the heat at the start of the week.
Massive Thankyou to everyone who has sent me messages about yesterdays unbelievable win in the
#FACup3rdRound
. Especially the mention from
@AlexScott
👊🏻Feel very proud to have played a small part in this teams success this season. Amazing effort as always from my team Mick & Dean
Getting there at the training ground ready for the arrival of the first team lads end of the week. Really happy with how well this pitch has progressed over the past few weeks! Great effort by the team (Ged and Ryan). Stadium is also coming in well thanks to Paul’s hard work.
Pitch responding well to being left alone for a few days. Divoting and moving the rigs about since Saturday. Cut at 25 mm today. Light rake tomorrow then spray. Will take the HOC down to 23 over the weekend to get ready for the game on Tuesday 🌱
From that to that to that to finally that. Unbelievable effort from the team and all the helpers today to get the game on and get the covers back on ready for Tuesday nights game.
#ImpsAsOne
🌱⚽️❤️
Sprayed a liquorice allsorts spray on Tuesday for Saturdays game starting to kick in now along with the 15-3-20 granular. Was a combo off various products I have in the shed. 10L ICL Stressbuster, 20L AGS Ignition, 10L ICL Effect Iron and 15L Consolidate Winter.
Ready for tonight’s game at the Cairo International Stadium. My first game as the pitch manager for the African Football League. Another game tomorrow then the big game on Tuesday in the AFL quarter final.
My pleasure mate. It’s the small things that make a big difference and
@LincolnCity_FC
we all try to do the little things we can to make special memories. Hope Erin enjoys her first game and we get three points 🤞🏻❤️⚽️
Another great effort from the team not only preparing the training ground for the academy’s return next week but prep for today’s game Wolves v Leeds U23’s. Pitch played well. Was even a few high profile players and staff involved today 👀
#GroundsWeek
@thegma_
#PL2
What a great day spent with
@tingers_123
!
So much respect and appreciation for Scott, completely opened up to me around everything they do at Watford and how they achieve these outstanding results. My head hurts now after so much information.
Massively appreciate it mate 👊🏻
All set and ready for the first game of the season
@khfcofficial
against
@CTFCofficial
can’t wait for kick off! Also can’t wait for my first game at the club with fans! Been here nearly a year and this will be my first game at Aggborough with fans!
#Harriers
#COYR
⚽️❤️
First grass nets of the season today for
@WorcsCCC
Played very well and for the time do the year I’m buzzing with them. Big shift form the lads the past few weeks to get the ground ready against the odds.
Thursdays wicket marked out today ready for a 3 day pre season game.
Pitch is a bit battle-scarred after 3 games in 4 days, a penalty shootout and extra time with 48mm of rain in the past 5 days. Road to recovery starts now! Clean up, rake, brush tomorrow. Procore, overseed, top dress, fert and fleece Friday.
The pitch prior to yesterdays last game of the season. Inspired by
@AELTCGroundsman
we copied the Championships cut on the pitch surrounds. Great win to end the season.
#Imps
Our amazing matchday groundstaff putting in the extra yards to keep
@khfcofficial
pitch together. One more game to get through in this busy period then a small break and we can start to recover the pitch after 4 games in 12 days. Cleaned up nicely post match.
#Harriers
Verti cut and rotary cut for the stadium pitch today! 14 miles walked but worth it. Perfect weather today. Fert and seed going down in next few days and let the recovery from a busy Wolves schedule begin, bit of a break before we have 3 back 2 back wolves games! ⚽️🌱
Not the result we deserved today. The lads were outstanding. What a day for the club and the supporters. Although the pitch played ok (few bobbles, especially in extra time!) given how many games we have had I’m very proud of my groundstaff!
#KIDWHU
#EmiratesFACup
Days don’t get much better than this!
Suns out, no wind, spraying pitches at the training ground ready for pre season
@LincolnCity_FC
@bbctms
on the AirPods
#Ashes2023
🌱😍
First game in charge at Aggborough today. Kiddy v Leamington! Double cut then mark out this morning. Great to put my mark on the stadium looking forward to the opportunity to be Head Groundsman at both stadium and training ground. Massive thankyou to our matchday staff ⚽️🔴
My first county championship match wicket as a head Groundsman. Good game with a bit for everyone. Pitch got marked ‘good’
A massive thankyou goes to
@StephenManfield
and the rest of the Worcestershire CCC groundstaff for their help and support over the past month.
Day 1/2/3
Amazing experience in Barcelona over the past 3 days at the
@TurfBusiness
Summit. Felt very honoured and overwhelmed to be invited to the summit as it really was the Who’s Who of the grass world and I was in awe of the majority of people I was sat in a room with 🌱🌱🌱🍻
Good to have ⚽️ back at Aggborough Stadium. Wolves v Palace U23’s tomorrow. Did the match prep today with the forecast for tomorrow morning looking wet, safe to say the fert has kicked in. Still a bit thin in places, waiting for seed to come through from few weeks ago.
10mm of rain in 2 hours! 4 hours of forking later and the game is on! Unbelievable effort, just need the lads to get three points now. Not looking forward to seeing the damage after the game tho.
(Pic on the right at 11am, pic on the left is taken by the club at about 13:30)
Pitch recovering well after the Man U game on Friday and a verti cut yesterday. Building towards the first
@WolvesAcademy
U23’s game on Monday evening v Middlesbrough.
Using the rubber rake in the linesman runs and heavy traffic warm up areas to lift up the grass that has been stamped down and also to loosen any organic matter that may have been trodden into the surface to then be collected with the rotary mower. Sprinkle of sand and seed 👍🏻🌱
How we started, How we finished. What an effort from the team (Mick/Dean) the club as a whole all pulled together to get today’s game on. Over 1000 tonnes of snow shifted by hand! Great effort. Just need 3 points now.
#harriers
#khfc
⚽️🔴
Massive Thankyou to
@jimRFU
for allowing me to join his team for yesterdays Autumn Nations game 🏴 v 🇿🇦. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole day, from prep, match and post match clean up. Great bunch of lads in the team at Twickenham doing an outstanding job! 🌱
Great to catch up with
@MatthewLeBrun2
today at the training ground and we took some cores out of pitch 3.
200mm roots 👀👀👀 looks healthy underneath and our Nematode Damage Index is significantly down on last year so all going well so far
@AdvanceGrass
All ready for the first home league game of the season! Despite some quite heavy showers this morning during match prep we are al ready to go!
@khfcofficial
Soil Temp’s looking good despite the freezing air temp. The main problem goalmouth (Rilmac shaded end) has the light rig on and is showing soil temps of 5.6 degrees. The other turf pods showing temps of 2.6 degrees so pitch well above freezing under the sheets. 🌱⚽️
So this happened today! 😳
Great day at Villa Park at the ICL Pitch Focus seminar day. Always great to catch up with people at these events and always learn something new. However today was toppled off with the opportunity to walk on the hallowed ground of the club I support 💜
First pass on the junior square yesterday with the auto roller. First usage 18th March on this square for
@WorcsCCC
pre season nets.
Rolled out very nicely prior to today’s rain and the waiting game begins again 🤦🏼♂️
@consolidateTurf
winter doing its thing
@KidderminsterCC
Light verti cut at the stadium today. Always amazes me how much comes out! Looks much better for it and is nice a clean. Granular fert Monday, Liquid Spray on Thursday then a verti drain at end of week and this will prepare pitch ready for a busy Xmas/new year run of games
What an outstanding few hours spent with
@RoyRIgby1
today at Man City’s training ground. Was an absolute honour to be able to pick Roy’s knowledge and experience and talk though some ideas to implement at Lincoln’s training ground. Massive Thankyou Roy, unbelievable facility 🌱⚽️
Very boring and draining job verti draining 12 pitches this week. However, one of the most vital jobs to help prepare the pitches for winter. Help the roots develop, gas exchange and de compaction. Controlled release granular start of next week and spray middle of next week.
Day 28, spray day with 31-0-0 (20L), 5L of SMX Seaweed and 1L of Primo Maxx. Upping the Primo rate to control growth and also change the energy of the plant from top growth into tillering and root development.
We spray primo of a growth degree day model. 1L every 100 GDD.
Ready for the early kick off against Sheff Wed today. 46mm of rain in the past 2 days (approximately 350,000 litres of water across the whole pitch) still a little scared from Tuesday’s game but overall in a good place ready for a very busy run of fixtures. 🌱⚽️
Great way to finish
#groundsweek
by watching England beat France (u21’s). Always learn something when I go and help at the King Power Stadium and thoroughly enjoy the post match maintenance. Pitch is outstanding!
@johnledwidge
@s10_ent
@DaleHayward93
So got back to the UK and had time to reflect on an unreal experience working out in Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium as the pitch consultant for the African Football League. A huge Thankyou has to go to the legend that is
@DeanNGrass
for giving me the opportunity!
Nice to have a matchday in the sun! Forgot what it felt like. Still very thin, lots of seed popping from the mini renovation. Pitch will only get better and better from now until the end of the season.
Looking good for tomorrow’s derby day game with
@telfordutd
. Double cut and mark out in the morning and good to go. Starting to get a little thin, with tomorrow being the 25th usage this season. Luckily have the longest break we have had all season coming up after (11 days)
Really pleased for the lads at Leicester winning Premier League Grounds Team of the Season. Proud to have been given the opportunity to support and learn from the team there and make a small contribution to the pitch this season on matchdays.
Just under a month to go until the first pre season game of the 21/22 season. Still a lot to do but very happy with where we are currently. Cutting daily at the stadium but focus moving more towards the training ground now with 1st team back on the 1st July! ⚽️
#harriers
Magic of the FA Cup! Already looking forward to the highlights on Match of the Day. Live in USA, Canada, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Come on Kiddy!
#HarriersTogether
#FACup
Game 4 of 4 in 12 days. Post match time to get some seed into the pitch and fleece it up. Very happy with how the pitch has played and looked throughout this period including 2 days with very wet weather. Great effort from the team and the lads are playing well on it (bonus)!
We have light! Massive Thankyou to
@SGLsystem
@TGrafen
for the SGL BU10. Gonna make a big difference to the goalmouths and means that I can actually grow grass in the south 18 yard box that is in shade from October to March!
Very least keep
@lukesimpson33
off my case 😉
Massive Thankyou to
@s10_ent
&
@johnledwidge
for inviting me to join the team at the King Power today for this evenings game v Norwich. Great experience seeing how they prep the pitch and helping out with that. It’s the small details and will definitely be using some of the ideas
Very proud of my team today! I’m currently isolating with the Rona. Mick and Dean’s first full match prep for tonight’s wolves game v Burnley.
Outstanding effort! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Very happy to be working for a club where groundstaff’s work does not go unnoticed. From players, to the gaffer, to coaches, supporters, CEO and Chairman all appreciate what we do as a grounds team and the hard work and effort that goes into all pitches at the club
@khfcofficial
Shout out to all groundstaff up and down the country getting training and games on this week & weekend. Which mainly goes unnoticed to! 👊🏻👏🏻
#justdivotathalftime
🤣
Great to have our
@SGLsystem
Turf Pods delivered today! Gonna make a huge difference in how we manage the stadium pitch with the 24/7 data from the pitch. Thanks
@TGrafen
as always mate
Bit fresh this morning! But with the disease pressure so high atm performing the annoying but vital task of taking the few off the pitch before putting the lighting rigs back on for the weekend.
Busy day today. Procore first thing. Overseed with
@OriginAmenity
R140 seed. Top dress with kiln dried
@MansfieldSand
. Fert with
@ICL_Turf
Invigorator 4-0-8. Fleece linesman runs, warm up areas and goalmouths. Water. Lights back on tomorrow and then let the pitch recover. 🌱
Renovations finished this morning. So this afternoon we sprayed 10L
@ICL_Turf
AquaSmart Wetting Agent and 25L of ICL Links then watered in with the pop up irrigation.
The wetting agent is applied to help us be more efficient with our water usage and help hold onto moisture.
Mini renovation of the stadium pitch much needed overseed and 20 tonne of 70/30 sand. Verti drain tomorrow. Fert Friday and germ fleece goalmouths and high wear areas. Then pray the temps go up! Longest break we have had all season! (12 days).42 usages so far, plenty more to come
Pitch 1 being Koroed today. Sand spreading, verti drain and seeding tomorrow/Friday. First major step to improving the pitches at the training ground. Just need it to stop snowing!
@m4tt_h
@LincolnCity_FC
Hi Matt, would Erin like to paint the penalty spot before the game as a special treat with it being her first game at the LNER Stadium?
Great work from Liam and Ged at the EPC. Pitches looking great after a bit of sun and warmer temps. Fertiliser kicked in. Plan for next few days is to verti cut, feed, verti drain
#groundsweek