Artist remembers Imps’ connection with Bradford City

Lincoln City’s Sincil Bank home is among the famous football grounds celebrated in new book - The Man Who Paints Football.

Now known as the LNER Stadium the ground is one of Britain’s iconic football arenas past and present celebrated in Bradford artist Paul Town’s first book.

The Man Who Paints Football features over 100 artworks inspired by soccer clubs’ homes and scenes from ‘the beautiful game’ recreated by Town. Featuring a foreword from celebrated sports commentator John Helm, the new book’s focus spans the length and breadth of the footballing nation through time.

The ground on Sincil Bank has been home of Lincoln City since 1895 after the club moved from the John O’Gaunt’s site and has a special place in Paul’s heart as he was among the crowd when 56 people lost their lives in the fire at Bradford City’s Valley Parade in 1985  – including Lincoln City fans Bill Stacey and Jim West after whom the Stacey West stand is named – in one of the deadliest tragedies in football history that contributed to the transformation of football stadiums across the country.

Paul Town said: “My love for football, and in particular my love for football grounds, began as a young child. Over the past decade I have been able to turn my passion into my profession and this first book provides an insight into both a lost world of football and my journey as an artist.”

“I painted the portrait of Sincil Bank in my early years as a football artist. Lincoln City, since the devastation of 1985, have remained closely linked to the City of Bradford, having provided the opposition on that fateful day. A biblical sky dominates the portrait, sending a beam of light onto the pitch with Lincoln Cathedral on the hill. I chose a match scene featuring Bradford to remember that connection between the two clubs.”

The Man Who Paints Football by Paul Town, priced £19.99, is published by Heritage Unlocked and is available from bookshops, galleries, online retailers and from the publishers’ website at www.heritageunlocked.com/shop/themanwhopaintsfootball.