Saying goodbye after twenty years at Sincil Bank

As well as the playing surface, Phil was involved with both Carlton Boulevard and the barracks, both offering very different challenges to keeping the turf in good condition at Sincil Bank.

“I started with Schoey at the Carlton Boulevard training ground which was a challenge. I was very proud of where we got to, especially from the starting point we had and the final condition of the pitches. Stuart Tindall was terrific to the staff at the Carlton training ground and fought our corner.”

Whilst the purpose built facility didn’t work out for the club, no fault could be attributed to the hard-working ground staff. The same could be said for the barracks, whilst it hasn’t been an ideal facility, it certainly served a purpose in those dark days shortly after Chris Moyses took over.

“Again, on limited budget Paul and I brought the Barracks back to life. That was a real tug of war with wilderness and undergrowth to being pretty good surface. In a short space of time and using Chris Moyses own money. Chris brought a real sense of belonging and improved lines of communication throughout the club.”

Those green shoots of recovery, pardon the pun, certainly started with Chris and Phil’s experiences echo that. Whilst a new, purpose built facility is now under construction, nobody should under estimate the importance of getting the barracks ready for training of some sort. Yes, progress needs to be made but even when you reach the middle of the story, you must never forget the start.

Phil also helped out many other local non-league sides with their surfaces and has earned plaudits on social media recently from many of those clubs, not least Lincoln United and former chairman Rob Bradley.

“Alongside my work at Lincoln I was also involved in the FA/IOG (Institute of Groundsmanship) Pitch Improvement Programme. I went out to do pitch inspections at semi professional and amateur clubs, providing written reports with recommendations for practical improvements. The list of clubs includes Lincoln Utd, Moorlands, Horncastle, Barton and Boston Town to name a few, but there have been many more. Most of those still have my number and I’ve always been more than happy to stay open to any other questions clubs may have pitch wise.”

Phil has few regrets about his time at the club, unsurprising given the sterling work he’s put in over the years.

“My first regret is that I didn’t find a career in pitch care straight from school, despite the frustrations it is an incredibly satisfying job. I also regret that I will probably not be able to make a move towards lecturing now, which was what I had planned as my natural progression.”

As for the future, Phil will remain in the turf industry, passing on his two decades of experience in a slightly different area.

“I will be working on a turf farm and hopefully doing a lot of work on the new hybrid pitches that are becoming increasingly popular.”

For now, it is time to say goodbye to the club he’s called home for twenty years. Phil is a fan and he’ll be back on the terraces when his new job allows, but he admits it will be a wrench to leave the Imps.

“It will be a very sad day to leave City and it will take a while to get the football way of life out of the system. I’ve a lot of friends there, both pitch side and in the stands, but they won’t see the back of me as I will be back to the terraces when time allows.”

I can identify with Phil’s sadness, just as I felt the last time I packed up the suit and walked out of the ground. Leaving the football club is really hard to do and for Phil it must be much harder as he’s been there all day, every day. From volunteer to full time staff, he’s worked endlessly for the good of the club, putting in hours of unseen work just to ensure the ball runs nicely into the feet of Peter Gain, bounces true for Lee Frecklington to collect the second ball or sits up nicely for Simon Yeo to lash in a last minute winner.

Thanks to Phil for taking the time to chat with me and I wish him all the best in the future.