Former Mansfield Town striker Isyeden Christie keen to forge career in coaching

Christie, who is currently completing his UEFA B coaching badge, played four seasons for Mansfield during a 24 year long football career.

And the ex-goal-getter is confident he has a wealth of knowledge to pass on to the next generation.

“The plan is to try and get back into the game, whether that is at non-league level or the league,” said Christie.

“Ideally I would like to do it at first team level or U23’s or something like that, and to have a really good go at it and see where I can get.

Why Mansfield will always be special for Christie

“I played until last year and still have the passion for football. I feel like I could possibly play this year but I have decided that is it for me now. I am 43 and if I want to do coaching the time is now.”

For Christie, who has a degree in accounting, coaching wasn’t an area he ever felt he would go into when he was a youngster finding his way in the game.

But he admits that as he picked up more and more experience in the game, coaching became a natural part of his career.

“I didn't see myself as a coach in my younger years,” he added. “Now I think I can be really good at it and have a lot to offer.

“It will be good. If I get the right place it could work really well for me.

“In my younger days I didn’t even think about coaching, the thought of being a coach wasn’t for me. As I got older I found myself giving advice to younger players and helping them.

“It turns out that that is basically what coaching is, it is just giving your advice to help people and making them better.

“It is what I had been doing for a long long time, perhaps as far back as going back for my second spell with Mansield.

“It had always been a part of me, I just didn’t realise that advice and coaching are similar things.. Now I am doing my badges, I can see I was doing coaching.

“It is about trying to get myself out there now, it is not easy for the likes of myself who have been out of full time football for a long time.”