Thetownend.com

BALL BOY-GATE: Job can be rewarding
           
           


  BEING a ball boy isn’t all about being kicked by Belgian superstars, it can be a rewarding vocation too.

           

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/10188377.BALL_BOY_GATE__Job_can_be_rewarding/?ref=rss
           
           
           

BALL BOY-GATE: This is how we fill column inches when there's no game on a Saturday.

Blame Tranmere.

I was a ball boy for a season when I was a kid. Was great back then and more or less a free way in.used the players entrance and was allowed to wander around in the tunnel pre and post match. Jon gittens screamed at me once for not getting the ball quick enough and the groundsman of that time did too on another occasion(grumpy old git whose name escapes me) could bring a mate in with me and was just left to do as I wanted really. Got bored of it though as it was more fun in the shrivvy road with my mates.

Zzzzz... What the fuck does this have to do with Swindon?

Geoff Warren.

What season did you ball boy?

I used to get on really well with Geoff Warren, left us to become Bristhole Shittys groundsman, nice bloke when you got to know him, a brummie and Birmingham City fan.

Smoked a pipe didn't he? Always seemed pissed off his grass was getting cut up by playing matches on the pitch.

Am I right in thinking someone from the council used to cut the pitch in the 85/86 season? that year pitch was all sand.  It got a whole lot better after that.

He did often smoke a pipe yes, always moaning but a sound bloke.

I didn't think we ever let anyone other than club groundstaff look after the pitch but I could well be wrong, I think we brought in Geoff around 88 so it could well have been then, Geoff was previously groundsman at Edgbaston CG moved on to Shitty then Bath City before coming back to the CG in the early 00's.

Think I did season 88-89. The groundsman did smoke a pipe too. He may have been ok but my memory is of a grumpy bloke.

Yeah thats him, grumpy to kids and wouldnt let you on the pitch at all, not even to collect a ball if was coming your way.

I don't think we had a groundsman before Geoff.  I think he arrived the summer after we won Div IV

Do you still have your light blue and navy track suit Arriba?

I was collecting coins from in front of the Town End the year before.  Got in for free, got loads of scribbles in my programme that season.

I remember him shouting at me as I was stood between the dug outs. The ball went onto the grassy wasteland area between the pitch and the  north stand and in his opinion I wasn't quick enough fetching it. I was the bugger who ran to get it though when others just stood there and were probably closer to it-hence why I took a disliking to the bloke.

That wasteland was a building site the year I did it, they started building those stairs, JCB, mud, massive puddles, no way was I going near a ball in there.

mine was a light blue shiney type hooded tracksuit with the llg sponsor on the back of it. It's long gone. Got loads of autographs and was fun in and around the tunnel etc. West ham fa cup game probably the most memorable game for me due to the big crowd and featuring in a photo in the adver on the monday as fans had got onto the roof of the shrivy road and I was stood below them.

We definately had one when I worked at the club from 84 to 88 well before Geoff joined us, I know this because my best mate Barry was the assistant groundsman and he was employed by the club not SBC.