Carlton Palmer back in football

The 55-year-old joins The Gingerbreads ahead of the beginning of preparations for the upcoming 2021/22 campaign after last season was once again curtailed by Covid 19.

Palmer took over from the suspended Keith Curle at Mansfield in November 2004.

But fans never took to him due to poor results, winning only 10 of his 41 games in charge, and his association with under-fire chairman Keith Haslam and he resigned due to the abuse he was taking from the stands in September 2005.

Since then ex-England international midfielder Palmer has needed a five hour life-saving operation for a heart condition in December 2016 from which he is now fully recovered.

Grantham chairman Darren Ashton said: “It’s fantastic news. We’ve been working on getting Carlton in for a while now and been in constant contact with him almost daily.

“He’s eager to get started with us. He’s been offered roles at Football League clubs, but he likes the idea that the club has.

“He likes what we have proposed, and we like his ideas he has moving forward and has bought into the plan and is joining for the long-term.”

Matt Chatfield has also joined Grantham from AFC Mansfield where he was previously the manager while also working at Nottingham Forest as a Foundation Phase coach.

The second member of the set-up will be Jas Colliver, who has had spells as a player at the likes of Belper Town and Stocksbridge Park Steels whilst also undertaking managerial roles at sides such as Clipstone, Staveley Miners Welfare and most recently, Handsworth Paramore.