Lincoln City kitman Terry Bourne has announced that he has left the club, following eight years at the Imps.
Terry joined Lincoln in January 2018, and while his official title is first-team kit manager, it’s a role that goes well beyond simply washing the kit.
He has witnessed two promotions and a Wembley triumph in almost a decade in Lincolnshire, but, as revealed in a LinkedIn post, he left the club last Friday.
‘Bourney’, as he is affectionately known, was a Production Planner for the first two decades of his working life. After being made redundant in April 2011, a month before the Imps were relegated from the Football League, he has since carved out a career in the game. Terry was a scout at Nottingham Forest, in addition to his role as Academy Kit and Transport Manager. That was for younger academy ages, before progressing to the U23’s and first team.
At the same time, he also became U21 Kit Manager for a couple of years, before taking the same position for the U16-23 at Forest. That was until early in 2018, when a phone call from Danny Cowley brought him back to Lincoln. By his own admission, he watched both Lincoln and Forest growing up, so it seems fitting that Terry has worked for both clubs in the past 15 years.
Promotion Celebrations
As mentioned, Terry has seen quite a transition in his time at the Imps, witnessing plenty of success and consolidation in League One before our promotion this season. He was prominent in the celebrations and gave a memorable interview with BBC Radio Lincolnshire on the pitch at Reading.
There is a lot more to his job than simply putting the kit out; he is an influential member of the staff at the club. Replacing such a figure won’t be an easy task for the Imps, and I don’t envy those who are in charge of finding his replacement. Those are some very big shoes to fill!
Announcing his departure on LinkedIn, Terry said the following:
“On Friday I left my role as Kit Manager at Lincoln City if there is any club require a Kit manager or a assistant or just need some independent advice feel free to contact me. I have also had experience in player recruitment which is another role I would be willing to look to persue”
It’s certainly an interesting message, hinting at a potential career switch back into recruitment, if the opportunity becomes available.
This week marks the start of a new dawn at the Imps, though this is one man who will be very tough to replace.