11:53am Friday 12th March 2010
By Paul Rogers
A Hereford United fan who forged a close relationship with Macclesfield Town boss Keith Alexander will be paying his respects tomorrow (Friday) at Lincoln City.
Scott Russell is a football development manager at Cherry Willingham Community School in Lincoln, a sports specialist school that has its own 3G synthetic pitch.
Alexander opened the pitch last October and Russell is hoping to rename it the ‘Keith Alexander 3G pitch’ in his honour.
“I wanted someone who was respected in the community and in football and for me there was only one name that fitted the bill and that was Keith,” said Russell, a former Westfields goalkeeper.
“He said that he would love to cut the ribbon as he knew the school well and still lived in the area.
“He was one of the nicest and most genuine men I have met, down to earth and easy to talk to.”
Alexander had two spells as Lincoln manager and took the club to four successive play-off campaigns in his second stint – the only Football League manager to do so.
Russell is due to be handed a signed shirt and ball before tomorrow’s game for the work that he has done for the Sincil Bank club.
The team’s academy players regularly use the pitch, as does former Lincoln striker Jamie Forrester’s academy.
“I had earmarked the Hereford game because of my links to the city and the fact that the game will be Lincoln’s first home game since Keith’s death will mean that it will be very emotional,” said Russell.
“There will be a big screen showing his career, which I think is a brilliant idea. I have been to the ground to send my own card of condolence and the school have sent one to his family – he was such a legend in Lincoln.”
Alexander died after Macclesfield’s game against Notts County last week and Russell said that he was due to go to the game with a friend.
“I heard Keith’s interview after the game and everything seemed fine, so to hear that he then died was a shock,” he said.
Russell went to the Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School and played in goal at reserve and youth level at Hereford United.
He played for Westfields’ first team at 14 and is now a goalkeeper for Lincoln Moorlands Railway in the North East Counties Premier League.
Russell said that Alexander regularly talked to him about Hereford and knew chairman Graham Turner well.
“I think he had a keen interest in Hereford because Macclesfield have a similar budget and were probably punching above their weight,” said Russell.
“He was used to working within his means and was always looking for bargains.
“He was a proper football man who was respected throughout the game.”
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