A FORMER Audenshaw High School pupil has scooped a prestigious honour at the Grounds Management Association Awards.
Justin Pickering, deputy head groundsman at Stockport County, was named alongside four colleagues as the recipients of this year’s Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year.
The 32-year-old, who also occupies the head groundsman role at Curzon Ashton, beat off stiff competition from Wigan Athletic and Derby County to be crowned victorious.
It means Stockport’s grounds team, headed up by Liam Cash, is the best in that specific category outside the top two tiers in England and the Scottish Premier League.
The accolade is regarded by Justin as the pinnacle of a 16-year career, which started as he left Audenshaw in 2008 and has since taken him to Stockport during what is, arguably, the most promising chapter in the club’s 140-year history.
Having learnt his craft at Reddish Vale Golf Course at the age of 16 under the guidance of Nick Wild – who was previously the Head Groundsman at Curzon – Justin has developed rapidly and finds himself tasked with various responsibilities on a day-to-day basis.
His primary focus is keeping the Hatters’ training facilities at Carrington in tip-top condition, although he also helps with match day preparation at Edgeley Park.
Justin also spends countless hours at the Tameside Stadium to ensure Curzon, currently riding high in National League North, have a playing surface befitting of the team’s style of play.
Such is the standard of Justin’s work, the Tameside Stadium pitch is regarded as one of, if not the best surface in the league.
And if proposed ideas are to materialise, Justin’s workload is set to increase as a third pitch at Carrington is on the cards for the League One leaders.
Speaking to The Correspondent about winning the award and the excitement surrounding the plans, Justin, who briefly played for Curzon, said: “We work our socks off to maintain the three pitches to a very high standard, so we’re proud of the achievement and will continue our efforts to be the best we can be for the club.
“We set ourselves high standards that we always strive to attain, and that’s something we plan to continue throughout the season as the club strives for promotion.
“In terms of the prospect of a third pitch at Carrington, there are ongoing meetings about how it will work.
“It’s my understanding that Sale Sharks, who are also based at Carrington, are happy to agree to the proposals. I think it’s just a matter of sorting out the financial side of things amongst the higher powers.
“If the plans do come into effect, I’ll hopefully bring in a few more staff members to deal with the workload, as well as additional pieces of machinery and mowers.
“The two-and-a-half pitches we have at the moment are solely for the first team, but every other weekend the Under-18s play their league matches on Saturday morning, so there’s a high demand to use them.”
The recent cold snap across Europe wreaked havoc on a string of fixtures at the weekend.
Locally, Oldham Athletic’s home clash against Boreham Wood in the National League fell victim to the elements – with the game being postponed just 90 minutes before kick-off.
The decision was met with criticism from members of the public and football fans alike – but Justin, as a groundsman, had sympathy for the Latics’ ground staff.
In fact, he feels the weather can often be an unbeatable enemy – regardless of the effort and preparation which is executed in the lead up to a game.
However, with Stockport’s ongoing backing and upward trajectory, Justin feels right at home and says his relationship with first team manager Dave Challinor is mutually beneficial.
He added: “The pitches at Carrington are in great condition, to be fair.
“On a day-to-day basis we’ll cut the pitches ready for training and mark them out. Once the session is over, we clean up all the debris and manage the divots to ensure that it’s ready for the next day.
“As well as fertilising the pitches with different spraying applications, we also aerate the surface to ensure the roots can get the nutrients they need.
“It’s definitely a tough job at this time of the year and every other groundsman will tell you the same. In the past week alone, there have been so many games postponed due to the weather and, in a way, you’re in the lap of the gods.
“Thankfully, we’ve got a few lighting rigs that we can move about to keep the frost at bay.
“We have frost covers that cover the entirety of the pitches but they become ineffective when the temperature drops below -3 degrees. We’re faced with a variety of elements over the course of the season, but we do our best to ensure every game goes ahead.
“I have a good relationship with Dave (Challinor) and speak to him every day. He pushes to keep sessions on the grass as it suits the team’s style of play and keeps the players accustomed to what they’ll expect on a match day.
“Unfortunately, there are times when it’s just not feasible as the frost will set in and make the pitches unplayable.
“In that situation, the squad will have no choice but to move to a 3G surface. It’s obviously frustrating, but Dave’s understanding and is really accommodating in that sense, so we work well together and have a mutual understanding of what we want and what we expect.”
Justin’s relationship with head groundsman Liam Cash is equally as strong.
In fact, he goes as far to say that Liam’s experience is something he taps into daily to boost his credentials and future prospects.
And who best to learn from than the lifelong Hatters fan, who previously worked for Stockport between 2008-2010 before moving to Aston Villa, then to Manchester City, before rejoining the club in 2021 after a stint with Tranmere Rovers.
Justin said: “Liam’s got bags of experience and we work well together. We bounce off each other really well – I’ll suggest ideas to him and vice versa.
“I’ve learnt loads since joining and it’s my ambition to use the experience to work my way to the Premier League – that’s the ultimate goal.
“But, having said that, I’m more than content with that I’m doing now and we’ll just see what happens in the future.”