The Railhawk returns

Former Pars captain gives vote of confidence to Jim Jefferies new side

Greg Shields returned to North Carolina this week after spending the festive break back home with family. On leaving Dunfermline at the end of the 2008-09 season the Pars defender joined Carolina Railhawks and although he came back to play 4 games for Partick Thistle he returned to the NASL side to play 30 games in 2010 and continues as player coach into the new season that starts in a few weeks. Speaking exclusively to the website Greg sounded very happy with the course his football career has taken:-

"We have had time off since the middle of October and our season doesn't start again until February. It's quite a long break. The team has done well; we got to the semi final of the play offs last year. We lost (to Tampa Bay Rowdies) but it is the second season running that we managed that far. Sixth or seventh place can win that league it's just the way American sport is - the top team wins the league and everyone else is in the play offs. American sports the championship game, you play the quarters, the semis and whoever wins it is the winners. I have got my head around it now.

"I played eleven games last year, that's out of 31 because I still have the player coach role. Our manager is Colin Clarke who used to play with Northern Ireland at centre forward. He was a very good player, a good coach and very similar to Jim Jefferies in many ways. He is great for me to learn off - he has a different approach from what I was accustomed to. It is very enjoyable."

This comes as quite a change for the player who had not previously contemplated going into coaching.

"Now I think its brilliant - you can coach kids and coach adults as well. It is a great learning experience for me; I have loved the year that I have had - you have a say on what goes on in training and you have a say on what goes on on a Saturday. It is something that I really want to be involved and it is a great place to be out there."

Although his wife and children live in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina now, missing one Scottish Christmas to give the US holiday season a chance they decided that a Scottish Christmas was much better. Greg used that to take a look at the Scottish First Division and was in the Players Lounge after the Fife Derby against the Rovers on 2nd January. He gave his thoughts:-

"The best team won today. I was at the Raith game on Saturday at Cowdenbeath; that was a game of two halves really. I still follow Dunfermline online and know the players they have brought in so I was pretty confident that I'd see Dunfermline win today. The best chances were Dunfermline's and they could have been two or three up before they scored. Raith had a few chances near the end but Dunfermline were totally in charge of the game. I like the way they play and thought that the centre backs played well."

www.dafc.co.uk story End of an Era