*Bump* Sowing the seeds of success: A Motherwell groundsman's vision for Scottish football
Motherwell FC groundsman Paul Matthew at Fir Park, Motherwell..... (Photo by Kirsty Anderson/Herald & Times) - KA.
1 day ago / Scott Mullen, Group Sports Writer
IT’S first thing on Monday morning and Paul Matthew is already hard at work. In fairness, he has been ever since he first walked through the front door at Fir Park little over a year ago. Standing in the shadow of the stadium’s giant South Stand, Matthew consults with a colleague about the day’s work as several pieces of heavy machinery snarl, grunt and crank into action.
A short walk later and the Motherwell groundsman dashes around the vast expanse of bare ground in front of us before we walk down the stadium’s tunnel and into the comfort of a function suite before eventually settling at a table, all the time talking about the journey he and the Premiership club have travelled together during a radical 12 months.
Before we go any further, it is worth putting into perspective the task Matthew had when he first took over as head groundsman at the end of last season. Punch the words ‘Motherwell’ and ‘pitch’ into Google and you are guaranteed to get a wide variety of responses spat back at you.
The results may contain images and stories about pitch invasions, most notably the flood of people that rushed on to the park last May as Motherwell beat Rangers to secure their safety in the Scottish top flight. But this return is only a drop in the ocean compared to array of pictures of sodden surfaces, rutted turf, mud patches and reports of abandoned matches.
For years the infamous pitch between Fir Park’s stands was synonymous with postponements, causing embarrassment and more importantly financial loss to a club living modestly following a spell in administration in 2002.
It is therefore to Matthew’s credit that he has, quite literally, helped Motherwell outgrow this reputation by harvesting one of the best playing surfaces in the country. During an in-depth conversation underneath the Phil O’Donnell stand, he explains just how it has been achieved, and how he hopes to plant the metaphorical seed for Scottish football to follow suit.
“The Motherwell job came up and I knew the hereditary problems involved,” he told HeraldSport with the gentle hum of a tractor purring away in the background. “A couple of people said to me that I could help, so it was a bit last minute from me. I was lucky enough to get the job and we started from there.
“We are now on to the second renovation being done and it’s a process. It’s a difficult pitch and nobody really understands how difficult. Geographically it’s the second highest pitch in the country, something like 86 metres above sea level. We are extremely high up and get hit with all the weather patterns, particularly rain. What you want is a football pitch that drains and we didn’t have that, so in the last two renovations the club have supported me in my bid to get the stigma away from our surface.
“We are trying to make Motherwell Football Club as the model for the rest of the teams in our league that don’t have the massive finance. I’m not a money man, I’m just a guy that sees what we do as a club and I look at my counterparts and wonder why they can’t.”
Starting out as a greenkeeper at Windyhill Golf Club in Bearsden, Matthew went on to serve 10 years at Rangers looking after Murray Park and then Ibrox, before English club Wolverhampton Wanderers took him south. It was this time in England that has highlighted just where we are going wrong in Scotland.
The main word that kept coming up for Matthew was that of respect. It is something he believes is badly lacking as groundsmen up and down the country are left exposed as they attempt to protect their beloved pitches. From slack protection rules to dismissive and abusive opposition staff, Matthew insists improvement must be needed.
“It’s about respect. That’s the first thing. Why are the rules not governed and enforced by the SPFL delegate? He or she should be down pitch side. There is a certain amount of teams in our league that seem hell-bent on dismissing you as an individual for what you are trying to do, and I’m talking about dismissing you in an appalling manner.
“I’m out there preparing that surface for their guys to play on. I don’t expect to get the abuse that I receive when I ask an individual to stick to a certain rule. I’m left hung out to dry out there. I need the delegate with me to enforce the rules and take that away from me.
“The rules are loosely termed and they need tightened up. We are being filled with excuses game after game.
“Down south it was seamless, the players were regimented. But that comes from the coaching staff. The players are just told what to do.
“If we don’t protect our pitches, our football becomes a backwater. Players don’t want to come up and play on a poor pitch. When I first was at Rangers Dick Advocaat made David Murray build Murray Park because he knew they couldn’t attract the best players without it.”
For Matthew, the respect must start at the very top, starting with our National Stadium. In recent months Hampden has come under criticism due to its patchy surface and it’s emergency returfs ahead of the League Cup final and the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finals.
“The surface is wrong,” said the Motherwell groundsman, alluding to the fact it is a full grass pitch and not hybrid like the turf at Murrayfield. “It’s short-termism and that’s what is killing our game. How can Murrayfield do it and that’s a minority sport? Football is our national game but our national stadium pitch is not up to scratch. It should be the focal point and kick-on point for all our other clubs, but it’s not.
“It’s not ideal [bring in turf in winter] because it may not be what you need or want, but it’s all that’s available. The last-minute decision only comes from a pitch that wasn’t fit for purpose to play that amount of games on.
“If it’s not a hybrid pitch with reinforcements in it, it’s not acceptable. Hampden gets a lot of natural light but I know and feel sorry for Stevie their head groundsman. He is a really conscientious guy with a great background but no matter how good a groundsman you are, if you don’t put the stepping stones in place you are beaten in our country.”
Matthew is hopeful Motherwell, who now use high-tech TLS lighting rigs to help their pitch, can help inspire other clubs on a similar budget for the greater good.
“At Motherwell, we are on a bit of a journey here. We want people to look at our pitch and say ‘That used to be one of the worst, now it’s one of the best. How have they done that?’
“We have to raise the profile of groundsmen in this country, and that will have a lovely knock on effect. Clubs may start to take surfaces more serious, and our governing bodies may start to try and get rid of the stigma attached.
“That may filter through to the clubs, the players, the physios, the coaches. Until that point, we’re struggling. Really struggling.”
