In a week where young people have been receiving bad press for their actions on the streets of amongst other places, London and Birmingham, East Stirlingshire manager John Coughlin was pleased to talk about a group of youngsters whose dedication, hard work and ability to deal with the unexpected on a very low weekly wage is making him glad to be back in football.
Former St. Mirren, Berwick Rangers and Stenhousemuir Manager Coughlin returned to management this summer after a six month break and he could hardly have picked a harder job to come back to, as the Shire were left with very little at the end of last season.
Coughlin explained, “I was keen to get back in and to be fair to the guys from the Shire that recruited me they told me that there was not much there to start work with. There have been issues off the park at the club for a number of years that are moving towards getting resolved and I went into this job with my eyes open.”
“We had 5 signed players of which only two had played in the first team with a total of 7 games between them, there was no training venue, no kit, no kit-man and no physio. I joked that at least they had given me a blank canvas to work but it was pretty dire circumstances.”
Coughlin sprang into action however, he was not successful initially as he explained, “I spoke to some of the experienced players like Derek Ure that had just left to see if they would come back. For various reasons they couldn’t so we had to build again.”
Coughlin then spent most of the summer on the phone calling in favours from contacts, former players and clubs as he faced a race against time to have a team to start the season.
He got there thanks to a group of youngsters at an age where positive publicity is hard to come by.
“We have very little money at this club so we have had to attract young players or guys who want a second or third chance in the game,” said Coughlin before adding “however the uncertainty of moving from training venue to venue is not a good way to sell a club to players but we got a team on the park.”
“The youngsters have been great, absolutely first class and in fact they have been a pleasure to work with. They are not here for a wage, they are here for a chance to play football and we are giving them a platform to do that and they appreciate it. I really have had my eyes opened as you hear this and that about youngsters and a work ethic, but these guys have been a credit to themselves and their families.”
Coughlin added, “I have also seen dressing rooms that can be troubled by jealously between players over money and we do not have that here because no-one is earning that much.”
Coughlin talked through the squad he has assembled
Calum Antell – We brought Calum in from Hibs on a 28 day loan and the kid is class. He is the Welsh under-19 goalkeeper and Hibs are going to have a right good goalkeeper in the future. We are pleased to be playing a part in his development and playing games for us and working with Alex Conon will help him to help us. We are looking to extend his time with the club.”
Iain Chisholm and Joe Dingwall – Iain lost his way with Dumbarton last season and Joe was playing with Stirling University after falling out of the game at a senior level. They are guys that just want to play football and that is why they are here.
Iain is a real competitor and that will be good for the younger players we have here and he is probably our most experienced player.
Ryan Frances – with my connections at St. Mirren as well as my coaches Matt Kerr’s and Arthur Bell’s, we knew Ryan was available quite early on. He is desperate for the chance to play football and he is not here for the money, he is here for a platform and I will give him one. A real win-win situation for both Ryan and us.
David Cane – David is the same boat as Ryan as he was released at the end of his Youth team time at Airdrie United. He was the Captain there and like Ryan he wants to prove that people were wrong to let him go.
Michael Hunter – I managed to bring Michael in on a season long loan from Stenhousemuir and he is proof that it is not worth falling out with anyone in football and why you should use the old boy connection. I had a chat with my replacement David Irons and his assistant Kevin McGoldrick about their plans for Michael this season and he will play more football with us than he potentially would have at the Warriors.
I still have a good relationship with Stenhousemuir and good memories of getting them promoted so I was happy to ask them for help with Michael. I know what he is capable of and he may be young but will be a great addition to our squad.
Steven Jackson – one of the signed players that was here and I believe he is a real gem. His elder brother is Andy Jackson, who has just moved from St. Johnstone to Morton and he has given Steven loads of good advice. He has popped up on the radar of a couple of clubs already and if he keeps progressing he will have plenty more looking at him.
A very adaptable player who could make it big.
Andy Stirling and Ally Love – are two really creative midfield players who have suffered disappointments in their career after being released by St Mirren. Really good footballers and whilst Andy did not make it at Stenhousemuir last season he remains determined to move back up the way in football.
Again the Paisley connection kicked in to help us get them and they are both on short term deals but I would love to have them here for longer.
Kevin Turner – I have to thank Derek and Daniel McKenzie who look after the Shire’s under-19 side for Kevin. The father and son combination come up with players on a fairly regular basis and they told me about Kevin starring for an amateur side in Bishopbriggs called St Mungo’s.
He came in for one training session and we signed him and it is amazing that he had got to age 27 without being picked up. He was with Rangers when he was a kid and then dropped out but he has kept an amazing enthusiasm for the game.
Again he now has the platform to build on and has been made our skipper as the players just love his approach. Made and scored a goal down at Dumbarton in the Ramsdens Cup on his debut which was great to see.
Alex Lurinsky – Alex is a very clever striker who started at a Senior level at Hamilton and Stranraer before dropping to the Juniors where he has featured prominently for three sides. He called me up as he heard we were short of players and felt he could do us a job.
He would make more money in the Juniors but good on him for making the call. Alex will be the oldest player in our squad and there is a jump up from the Juniors to the Third Division but so far he has handled it well.
You wonder if some players can make that jump and Alex has. He will play a lot this season.
Jordyn Sheerin – I knew Jordyn from his days at East Fife and Arbroath. I spoke to his manager, who is also his cousin at Gayfield, Paul Sheerin and he gave me a very honest assessment of Jordyn.
He told me he was unlikely to feature as they had the likes of Gavin Swankie and Steven Doris there but that he would do a job for us. As soon as he was available we went after him and just beat off Berwick Rangers who fancied landing him as well.
We are still working on his fitness as he missed some of pre-season but I am expecting Jordyn to be giving me problems about selecting him in a couple of weeks.
Joe Savage – Joe got in touch as he has been out of football for a while and wanted to come back to a club where he enjoyed playing. He is loved by the fans here and his never say die attitude will help us throughout the season.
Stewart Beveridge, Gavin Sorley, Fraser Team and Craig Scott were all at the club last season and were either signed or persuaded to come back and sign. They have limited first team experience but a good attitude and will hopefully force their way into things soon.
Craig Scott emerged as a real talent towards the end of last season and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do for us this season in midfield.
The youngsters’ enthusiasm has probably been matched by Coughlin who has found his zest for the game again after leaving his post at the Warriors just before Christmas and fearing that he may never get back into the game he loves.
Coughlin explained, “You can get to a stage when things can get on top of you and management can be a lonely job. I am surrounded by good people in Matt Kerr, Arthur Bell and Alex Conon but a manager has to make the decisions that matter.”
“After a good start last season at Stenhousemuir we were struggling as our goalscorers were all injured. That led to some disappointing results and I decided a break away was what I needed. After a few weeks I was ready to go as football is in my blood.”
Being ready to come back and getting back are two separate things as Coughlin explained, “There was a time where I thought I would not get back in. You would look around and see that there was not much movement and also you are not alone in looking for work.”
“Jobs that did come up were filled by people you would associate with higher league clubs, like Jocky Scott at Stirling and Jim Duffy at Clyde and I began to wonder if my time as a football manager had ended. The Alloa job came up and I applied for it and Paul Hartley came from nowhere to take that one.”
“I realise that whilst the East Stirling job looked a tough gig, I am lucky to have it and I am sure a few people would want it if I walked away today.”
Everything came together for the Shire last Saturday as they defeated Montrose 1-0 to win their first IRN-BRU league match of the season and it left Coughlin shattered.
The 48-year-old said, “I had forgotten how shattered you can get after games as you are kicking and heading every ball. I am delighted we have won already as it got a huge monkey off our back. There is a low expectancy associated with this club and the bookies have made us the favourites to be last which is not really surprising after the problems we had during the summer.”
“That result will give the boys confidence and they enjoyed it, but I am sure they realised that a draw was probably about right and Montrose were due a point but it got our season up and running. You never know where you will end up.”
Former club Berwick are up next with Coughlin saying, “I am looking forward to going there as I had a wee bit of success as we won the Third Division title in 2007. I have been back with Stenhousemuir and never done that well, so it would be nice to win this one as I reckon Berwick will be a top four side this season.”
The trip over the Border will allow Coughlin to look at the similarities between his former job and the East Stirling one as he said, “Berwick were not in a great shape when we went there and we brought in hungry players from the East of Scotland leagues and the Juniors. We were written off before a ball was kicked but got off to a good start and talk of a league challenge emerged.”
“A difficult Christmas saw things become a two horse race with Arbroath but we beat them in a massive game just before the end of the season 1-0 to virtually win the title. Shielfield will always be special to me because of that day.”
“Berwick are great hosts, sometimes too good,” joked Coughlin before adding, “but it would be good for my youngsters to be leaving with three points.”
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