CIRENCESTER TOWN are making a fresh start in Step 4 this season.
Boss Charlie Griffin has drawn a line under their relegation from Step 3 and is ready for his first full season as a manager in the Evo-Stik South West.
Things will look a bit different at their Corinium Stadium too as they become the latest in an ever-growing list of Non-League football clubs to look for the benefits on laying down an artificial surface.
But this is no ordinary 3G pitch. It has the latest artificial grass yarn technology and is considered to have similar characteristics to natural grass pitches.
Artificial grass manufacturer TigerTurf, who also sponsor a Ciren stand, have helped the southwest club upgrade to a Premier Pro 60 pitch – the first of its kind in the?UK. One of the big differences? No more black rubber crumb – this one has green!
“It's second to none, Griffin says. “It's a really good surface and it looks magnificent.”
Namesake Scott Griffin had a legendary playing career at the club and is now secretary. He wishes he could get the boots back on.
“I'd have loved playing on it,” he says. “I played a vets game on 3G and quite liked it but this is a totally different level.
I've never seen one like it, it's pretty special.
“Just watching the lads training on it for the first time on Tuesday night you could see they're taking one touch and pass, it's so sharp and quick. There will be some good football played on it, that's for sure.”
That will be music to the ears of Ciren fans after a difficult season. Former Chippenham, Salisbury, Forest Green and Newport County striker Charlie Griffin, a Conference champion with Stevenage in 2010, has been doing his homework on their new surface.
“I know quite a few players and I was up at a meeting at Sutton United earlier in the year,” he says. “I got to have a look around and speak to people about the pitch, how they went about it, how they got used to it.
“I spoke to Gavin Williams, the Merthyr manager, quite a bit last season about their pitch too. So a lot has gone into it. I haven't just thought, ‘Oh it's ok, it's just a 3G pitch'.
“I've done my homework and brought in players who are going to be able to play on it and, away from home, bring experience of this level. That's vital to have.”
So is local knowledge. Griffin has been putting in the hours by getting out to watch games and keep his finger on the pulse ever since he took over last September with the club already nailed on for the drop.
“No matter what standard you are, you need to know what's going on,” he says. “If you want to be successful you have to.
“As a player I always used to know what I was coming up against. I knew about the keeper, the back four, whether there would be a holding midfielder – I always looked out for the opposition's team the week before and things like that. If you're taking penalties, whether the keeper dived this way or that.
“You need to do your homework whether you're a player, manager, coach or an assistant – and I've got a great management team. It's nice to know what's out there, who's playing and what formations teams have got.
“Sometimes you've got to travel to watch games but that's part and parcel of Non-League football.
“The players will see that too. You have to lead by example and be the man that's out there leading your team. It's non-stop but I enjoy it. I've been in football a long time but I've just started managing. Cirencester is a great club to be at.”
Griffin, 38, hopes that the community impact seen at other clubs with 3G pitches will contribute to the return of a feel-good factor to a team that won this division in 2013-14.
“Last year was tough because of the losses we had,” he says. “We didn't have many great victories but having the new pitch is an advantage. I've told the lads not to underestimate the teams we're going to come up against.
“You've got to turn up and work hard. I emphasise that. We've got to be a team together. We've got a squad so we might go for a team when we're away that's different from at home. But we won't go into any game unprepared. We want that feel-good factor back of winning games at Cirencester.
“There's great people here. We don't have a massive fan base, but when they come out they're really good. We've got a chairman, Steve Abbley, who has been here 25 years – the pitch coming along now is testament to what he does. He loves football, he loves coming down and watching us on his Saturday. Hopefully we can all enjoy it this season.”
Subscribe for the 2017/18 season to receive The NLP (post/digital): http://bit.ly/NLP-Sub
