As a player Zander Diamond played more than 200 SPL games, won a league title in English football and represented Scotland B.
And earlier this month the former Aberdeen star agreed to join Johnny O’Brien’s coaching team at St Patrick’s FPs.
Now the Bellsmyre man is hoping his experience can help drive the Saints to the next level.
Diamond told the Lennox: “I know the proud history of the FPs having been brought up in Dumbarton, my uncle Stephen played for them so I grew up watching them on Saturdays.
“Johnny invited me to training to take a couple of sessions and I agreed. I hadn’t been doing anything since I left Queen’s Park as a coach.
“I had a few discussions after training and I enjoyed the vision and ambition Johnny had for the club going forward.
“It whetted my appetite and it was something I wanted to be a part of.
“Throughout the latter half of my career I started to write down a lot of notes.
“Football coaches and managers are the best thieves out there. We take a bit from every coach and manager we’ve worked under.
“I had a great grounding at Aberdeen with Jimmy Calderwood and Jimmy Nicholl who I’m still in contact with to this day. They still give me words of wisdom and advice.
“Down south I won a title under Chris Wilder, I worked with Gary Rowett who is at Millwall now.
“I spoke to (Stevenage boss) Steve Evans last week and he was asking about St Patrick’s. He was excited when he heard the plans.
“I worked under Craig Brown and Archie Knox too. You need to use everything you’ve learned as a player in coaching.”
The 37-year-old now hopes to use his profile and contacts to help St Pat’s grow.
He continued: “St Pat’s are a family club and we are trying to strive to become a community club.
“In my 18 years of being away I can’t believe that they don’t have a pitch to call their own.
“It’s something we’ve spoken about at great length. We’ve had some encouraging talks on that.
“I believe St Patrick’s FPs need a pitch. That would further the club’s links with the community, but it would also create a pathway for the talent.
“Dumbarton has always been a hotbed of footballing talent.
“If we can have a first team to aim for then it’ll be fruitful for the area as a whole.
“It’s not just football. We want to do a range of things to help the community.
“Everyone knows St Patrick’s FPs. This is a club with a proud history and tradition and we know the whole town would back us fully.”
Delighted Saints boss Johnny O’Brien said: “I’m really enthusiastic about this appointment.
“Zander had a great career as a player and having played under a few different coaches he has learned his craft well.
“In the short time he has been with us he has raised the standard of our training sessions and his coaching input at his first game was first class.
“The players are all buzzing about the appointment and the training sessions have been excellent.” Coach Tommy Graham added: “Johnny must take most of the credit for his hard work and diligence to contact Zander and to fully inform him of our plans for the future.
“Zander has bought into our vision and he was fully aware of our club, having been brought up in Dumbarton and attending St Pat’s school.
“He also had a family connection through his Uncle Stephen who was a wonderful player for the Saints in the 1990’s and played a major part in Saints first Scottish Amateur Cup win in 1990.”
Despite signing up as a coach however, Diamond insists he has no plans to pull the boots back on.
He added: “The idea of me playing did get floated. But I’ve had my career.
“My family has been through enough with my injuries. I enjoy training and I’ve played a few charity matches for Aberdeen. But my playing days are gone.
“I’m lucky in that coaching football is the next best thing to playing it.
“I’m doing that at my local team and hopefully we can move mountains to move this club forward.”
