Footballers live in fear of what the future holds once they hang up their boots - but Gary Dicker counts himself lucky not to be in that boat as he pursues a definite plan of attack.
Schooled in the League of Ireland with UCD before a solid 15-year career in English and Scottish football, the Dubliner retired at the end of January.
At that point, he was player-coach with Brighton’s Under-23s but the opportunity to become their Under-18 manager was too good to turn down.
And that new opportunity just happened to coincide with the uplifting news that his mother, Margaret, had received the all clear after a cancer battle.
Dicker, 35, told Mirror Sport: “It’s been a good few weeks. My mum’s health is the most important thing. The fact the new role is going well is just a bonus.
“But it's weird not being classed as a footballer any more because it's all you’ve known. Sometimes lads hang on in the game longer than they should.
“I didn't want football to retire me. I didn't want to be hanging on like that just because I was scared of going into something else.
“Physically, I feel fine and it's not as if my body has given up, but it came to a stage where I had to decide as you won't last forever being a footballer.”
Dicker continued: “Players can get forgotten when they finish and it's an area of the game that needs more care and attention.
“But I wasn't scared of not playing any more. I knew I wanted to go into coaching, but it’s also easy saying that.
“You need someone to give you a chance and I’m grateful to have gotten that with the Premier League club I played for.”
Dicker’s career has come full circle as he remembers cutting his teeth as a player at UCD under Pete Mahon and the late Eddie Wallace.
He then joined Stockport, Brighton, Rochdale, Crawley and Kilmarnock before returning to Brighton in that player-coach role.
Dicker said: “I loved the League of Ireland. It gets a bad rep and it's like the Scottish league, people look down on it.
“I got my best football education at Brighton and it’s where I met my wife and had my two kids.
“And at Kilmarnock, I had some great managers who shaped me. I see more Irish lads going to play in Scotland and I can understand why.
”The stadiums are good, it’s the main league in the country and there’s incredible media coverage that you don't appreciate until you're there.
“Everyone gets behind their own league and supports their teams. It's an area Ireland should learn from.”
The Firhouse man continued: “People go on about the standard of football but let me tell you, it's not easy going up there.
“I’ve seen big players go into Celtic and Rangers and it doesn't happen. The level up there is better than people give it credit for.”
But Dicker knew from a long way out that he wanted to go into coaching and while playing at Kilmarnock, he asked if he could also work with their reserves.
That turned into a four-year stint and included a brief interim spell as first-team boss when the club was in between managers.
He said: “The word ‘busy’ is used a lot in football, but I went in and asked the question.
“I wanted to get out ahead of it because when you apply for a job, the first thing they’re going to ask is 'what experience have you got’.
“I’m starting at the bottom of the pile again and I’ve a lot to learn, but I’ll put the work in.”
Meanwhile, Dicker reckons Evan Ferguson's solid grounding off the pitch can help him become a big hit on it.
Dicker played alongside the rising Irish star in the club’s Under-23s this season and then managed the striker in Brighton’s recent FA Youth Cup win over Charlton that set up a quarter-final clash with Wolves..
Ferguson and fellow Irishman Andrew Moran scored the only goals that night as Brighton booked their spot at this stage of the competition for only the second time.
For good measure, Dicker was also a rival of Ferguson’s dad Barry when he was at UCD and Ferguson Snr was at Longford Town, Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers.
But Evan Ferguson, 17, has made remarkable strides since joining Brighton from Bohemians and made his Premier League debut in Saturday’s defeat to Burnley.
That was his fourth appearance for the first-team in all competitions this season.
Dicker said: “We’ve a good few Irish lads here and we’ve people in charge who want to give young players a chance.
“They see the academy as a massive part of the club, and the one they push the most to see if they can produce their own players.
“For me, there’s no better place for a young player and hopefully we’ll see more of them in a green shirt, not just a blue and white shirt, over the next few years.
“But you don't want to be putting pressure on 17 and 18 year olds. Let them enjoy their football and if they are doing well at their club, the rest will look after themselves.”
But Dicker continued: “Evan is a grounded kid from a good family. He has a good head on his shoulders and it doesn't seem to faze him.
“Everyone in football wants things to have happened yesterday but it's a slow process in football and he's on the right road and with a great club that will look after him.”
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