'A New Door Is Open At Stenny'

Nov 23 2008 John Hillcoat

THE depressing thought of looking for a newteam after leaving East Stirling had the potential to finally tip me over the edge.

Being without a club can hit an old pro hard - especially when you've taken more second prizes than human punch bag Aiden McGeady.

So I wondered how I would react to my early departure from Firs Park.

Would I roam the streets screaming my head off or end up rocking uncontrollably in a darkened room?

And could I even be tempted to grow my hair long and call myself Rachel?

Luckily those dark fears proved unfounded and my first week as "rent-a-goalie" was highly enjoyable.

I didn't have a clue what I was going to do after the big metal gate at Firs Park clunked behind me for the last time.

Players are sometimes hit by cabin fever while with the Shire and I can only put it down to the 50-foot wall that surrounds the stadium.

It looks so daunting and even Shawshank Redemption escapee Andy Dufresne wouldn't have a hope in hell of scaling it.

But if you look closely enough you will see my sliding nail marks as I once thought of emulating old Brooks from the hit film by hanging myself from the rafters.

I'm out of that Firs Park prison now though and a new door has opened thanks to my old club Stenhousemuir. I was delighted when the management trio of John Coughlin, Matt Kerr and Alex Connon asked me to join them for training.

Keeping fighting fit is vital if I want to find a new club when the transfer window opens in January and I can't thank the Stenny lads enough.

But let's get one thing straight - I don't intend to muscle in on the territory of keepers Scott Bennett and Keiron Renton.

I know how unsettling it can be when someone from the outside comes in but the lads can rest easy because I'm not after their places.

Last Tuesday was my first session and I could almost feel the enthusiasm rush back into my veins as I met up with former team-mates Craig McEwan and Willie Lyle.

We got together at the Crowwood Hotel, a place most players from the central belt meet up. Willie and Craig are top-notch boys and I was looking for some sympathy after my Shire exit.

But they were having none of it and proceeded to stitch me up like a kipper.

Craig and Willie stood with their thumbs in the air like hitch-hikers when I pulled over to greet them.

But I then made the mistake of nipping into the hotel for a quick pee as Stenny's answer to Starsky and Hutch jumped into my car.

And when I got to the toilet I realised my phone was still in the motor and I had left the keys in the ignition.

Terrible thoughts raced through my mind and those fears were realised when I stepped back outside.

My car was nowhere to be seen and I wandered around the grounds for 10 minutes looking for the jokers.

I finally took a look along the dual carriageway and sure enough my motor was stuck on the hard shoulder with its hazard lights flashing.

The lads enjoyed a good laugh at my expense when I caught back up with them.

But I got some revenge when I put my Magic Tree air freshener on the bold Willie's beak in the hope it would cure his rotten breath.

Sadly, it didn't and he was still reeking by the time we made it to Stenhousemuir.

When I walked through the doors it was great to see old faces like kitman Jim MacKay, grounds man Stuart "Oscar"

Orr and the management trio.

I headed for John's office straight away to thank him for his gesture then went into the dressingroom to meet the rest of the lads.

Coughlin and his crew are one of the most professional management teams I have ever worked with. And their dedication shone through before training when John showed the lads an itinerary for every session until January.

That's what I call forward planning and it's great for players when they know the coaching staff have everything sorted behind the scenes.

John also arranged for refereeing guru Hugh Dallas to re-educate his men on their conduct and interaction with the match officials.

UEFA delegate Dallas delivered an excellent lecture and hammered home how important it is to stick to the laws of the game.

Hugh also had some belting anecdotes about his time as the man in the middle.

That gave us all a good laugh but the main point of the exercise was to highlight the importance of discipline.

There's no point getting daft suspensions and I'm sure Coughlin's potential hot heads got the message.

Professionalism is the name of the game down Stenny way these days - and I would just like to thank the club for giving me a lifeline at this stage of my career.