East Kilbride hero Sean Winter hasn’t ruled out coaching in his future, but says he needs to miss football first.
Winter retired last month aged 34, having left Cumbernauld Colts in the Lowland League after a final year.
The attacker feels that he might have something to offer to a team somewhere down the line, but says he needs to be away from the game for a while, having been deeply immersed in it since he was five or six years old.
But another barrier to coaching might be that the self-styled dressing room joker would need to take it seriously.
He said: “I think coaching is something I would like to do, but I’ve not done any of my badges, I’ve not even thought about it.
“I’m a bit of a joker and a bit of a class clown, and I’ve always liked that. I use football as a bit of a relief from my stressful job and family life and stuff like that.
“I’ve always wanted to enjoy it, so I’ve never even thought about the coaching side, because that’s very serious and you need to put a lot of effort and time into that side of it as well. I’m not there yet, definitely not.
“I love football, but I think I need a chance to miss it. I’ve never had that. I’ve played football since I was five or six and never taken a break from it.
“I don’t miss training, I don’t miss games, I’m there in every session and every game. I give everything I’ve got.
“I think I need a year or two, totally away from football, to find out if it’s something that I really want to do.”
Winter added: “I think I probably still have quite a bit to offer a team if I was to go in as a coach, and I like to think I can help the youngsters come through, give them confidence and advice.
“There’s no point playing the game if you’re not enjoying it, so I think if I was to go into a team as a coach, that would be one thing I would focus on.
“Maybe in a year or two – it might be sooner, I might regret this decision and miss it more than I realise – but I need to give myself a chance to miss the game a wee bit.”
Winter joined Kilby in 2015 and went on to win two Lowland League titles at K-Park.
He also helped EK earn their big Scottish Cup clash with Celtic in 2016, scoring the clinching goal in a 2-0 win over Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale and guided the club to their 30-game winning run in the same year, which eclipsed a world record set by Ajax.
Countless cups also followed before a brief move to St Roch’s in the West of Scotland Football League and, latterly, back in the Lowland League at Colts.
With another EK hero in David Proctor taking the reins at Colts, Winter says he didn’t make a quick decision to hang up his boots.
“I feel like I could probably get myself fitter and play another year or two, but I just feel like the time’s right,” he said.
“I don’t want to drag it out, and then next year it comes and I end up not performing as well, end up on the bench and frustrated, and sign off that way.
“I’d rather do it when I’ve been fairly successful, personally. It wasn’t something I took lightly, and I know I helped the cause, because I scored 20 and the nearest to me was on about five or six.
“I know David Proctor personally, he lives round the corner from me, so I’m good pals with him. I wanted to give him the best start to his managerial career that I possibly could, so I would love to have signed on, and they were eager to keep me on.
“A big thing for me was my fitness. I’ve never been that player who is unfit, but in the last year you’re coming up against these young boys who are fit and can run all day.
“I realised I didn’t want to be playing when I know I can offer so much more. My mind was wanting to do things that my body couldn’t do any more, and I just felt the time was right.”
Winter enjoyed his time at Cumbernauld, but says this is the right decision for him.
“It’s a great set-up and probably one of the best in that league. You’re playing at Broadwood, the changing rooms and facilities are excellent, and you’re very well looked after,” he said.
“But I felt the time is right. I have a wife and two kids, Reece, 9, and Isla is nearly 2, so the kids are at an age where I really want to be starting to spend as much time with them as I can.
“I’m young enough and I’m still able-bodied enough to spend time with the family and do a lot of things that I want to do, and away from football.”
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