Groundsman blows final whistle on 47-year career

A groundsman who has spent nearly five decades maintaining professional football pitches in Stoke-on-Trent is set to retire.

Steve Speed, who worked at Port Vale for 43-and-a-half years before joining Stoke City four years ago, is stepping down after turning 65 on Monday.

He said he would feel "a bit sad" to leave the job but that the "aches and pains" had increased in recent years.

"I'm lucky though, I've done a job that I've really enjoyed," he said, adding "everybody has bad days at work, but I think I've probably had half a dozen".

He added he would miss match days most of all.

"There's nothing better than working all week to get your pitch perfect and saying, 'yeah, I've done a good job'.

"Sometimes as a groundsman you're critical – you see the odd divot or something," he explained.

He said the worst part of his job had been thinking a pitch was in a good way but then hearing a manager criticise the field in a post-match interview.

Former Port Vale player Adam Yates said Speed was an "incredible advocate" for the club, and "absolutely amazing in terms of his dedication".

"He lived and breathed, not only the work he was doing at the ground but the football club itself."

Yates added: "Everyone thought he slept there and lived there, he was there non-stop, morning, noon and night."

He was well-known locally, and had been a "a real positive for the city," he added.

Speed said he had fond memories of working at both of the city's clubs.

"I don't think I've met one bad player – they've always been polite, they've always been chatty," he explained.

"I've always got on with managers, I've always gone and seen what they want in a morning – from training to matches."

He added: "It's absolutely brilliant to do something you love anyway, it's been a brilliant career."

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