Cash back at Stockport County
Joining the club in late December proved difficult, with back to back fixtures and some pretty awful weather to contend with
When talking about 'noisy neighbours' Stockport County can probably claim to have the loudest, with the Manchester's United and City just seven miles away.
The club currently play in the Blue Square Bet Premiership, and are the longest serving Football League side to have dropped out of the top divisions, having played in the league for a total of 110 consecutive years.
Liam Cash actually began his career at the club back in 2008 working under the then Head Groundsman, Lee Horton.
"I've seen the pitch at its very best and its very worse! The pitch, back then, was being shared by the football club and the Sale Sharks rugby union side and it simply didn't have the foundations needed to deal with both sports," says Liam.
"Over the years the club have added new drains and sampled new materials and I thought, as a result, last year the pitch dealt with the dual sports the best it ever has. We all certainly learned a lot!"

In May 2010, Liam left the club to join Premier League outfit Aston Villa. "I worked both at Villa Park and the club's training ground, which is where I spent most of my time. Going from Stockport County to Aston Villa was huge for me, both the standard of the pitches and the levels they work to were all new to me and something I will always keep with me."
"I learned a lot from their head groundsman, Jonathan Calderwood, and the other lads there in a short period of time. It's a great place to work and I would recommend to any young groundsman who has the opportunity to work at Villa to take it all in and enjoy every minute of it. Just walking out on a stadium pitch such as Villa Park was unbelievable for a twenty year old, but to be actually working on it was great."

"It's a great crew at Man City and the plans they have for their new training ground really are something that, in my opinion, will set the standard around the world."
"I worked on various and different surfaces, such as Fibresand and Desso, and was thoroughly enjoying my work but, when the call came from the club I support to become their Head Groundsman, I knew it was something I had to seriously consider. I can tell you, it wasn't an easy decision."

Liam's first challenge was a double header against Hyde FC on Boxing Day, followed by the visit of Telford United on the 29th December. With two games in just four days Liam told the club officials; "I have examined the pitch the best I can over the last few days and I'm happy with its condition, despite the weather!"
The Hatters pitch is a Fibresand construction, but even that had struggled with the amount of football and rugby fixtures and the run of poor winters. "There was never any time between games to do any meaningful work on the pitch," says Liam. "All we could do was repair it as best we could, mark out for the changeover and put the relevant goal posts up!"
So, when Sale Sharks moved to their new home at the Salford City Stadium in April 2012, it was a double edged sword; the pitch would improve, but the lost revenue would be of concern.

In 2010, the club financed new drainage - 110mm main drains, 80mm lateral drains at 5m and 50mm and sand slits at 1m and, partly as a result, we haven't had a game of rugby or football called off since.
The pitch has a full irrigation system in place, with fifteen sprinkler heads spread across the pitch and perimeters, and is capable of being programmed to water the pitch throughout the day and night.
"At the moment I work alone on the stadium pitch," says Liam, "although I have recently acquired some help on matchdays with divoting etc. The wear and tear has obviously been less this season now that the stadium only hosts football. We have the usual amount of home first team fixtures of twenty-five, plus around thirty first team training sessions and eight reserve team fixtures so, as much as we haven't had the vicious tearing of the surface that rugby union gives, we have still had a significant amount of hours use on the pitch. No more than anywhere else though."

"As for equipment, I think I'm pretty well covered. I have a Dennis G860 mower, a Toro Procore, Kubota tractor, Scotts fertiliser spreader, a wheel to wheel line marker and a tractor mounted sprayer. In the coming weeks I will hopefully be getting two new rotary mowers and another Dennis G860."

Whilst being a young man, the experience Liam gained at Aston Villa and Manchester City will hold him in good stead as he strives to provide a pitch that will help his beloved team return to the Football League.