FORMER TRINIDAD and Tobago football team striker Jason Scotland is setting his sights on coaching after he decides to hang up his boots.
Last week, Scotland renewed his contract at Scottish club Hamilton Academical by 12 months, after he played a key role in the club earning promotion to the 2014-2015 Scottish Premiership.
In a recent interview, the stockily-built 35-year-old admitted that his days at the professional level are numbered.
“I’ll see how the body feels after the holidays and sees where it takes me,” he said, during a visit to his homeland.
Asked what he will like to do after he retires, Scotland responded, “I did my ‘B’ licence (course) last summer in Wales. I might follow that up with an ‘A’ (licence course). I’ll just take it one step at a time.”
Scotland, between 2000 and 2011, played 41 times for Trinidad and Tobago, and netted eight times for the national squad.
After starting his playing career with Malick Senior Comprehensive, he played for San Juan Jabloteh and Defence Force before making his way to Great Britain in 2003.
He had good spells at Dundee United, St Johnstone (both in Scotland), Swansea City (in Wales), Wigan, Ipswich Town and Barnsley (in England) before joining Hamilton in January.
Scotland had limited opportunities to play for the national team due to a surplus of strikers, such as Stern John, Cornell Glen, Collin Samuel, Kenwyne Jones (who all were part of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, along with Scotland), Errol McFarlane and Kerry Noray.
Now, there is a glaring lack of quality strikers in Trinidad and Tobago football.
Questioned if he sees himself returning home to assist the crop of forwards in the local game, Scotland replied, “if need be, when I obviously get all my qualifications, I’ll be willing to help Trinidad and Tobago football. But, at the mean time, I’m just going through my badges. In time to come, anything can happen.”
Reminiscing on his career in Britain, Scotland said, “I think all through my career in England, I’ve been scoring goals.
“Going down to the Scottish Championship (with Hamilton), it wasn’t really a step up, it was a step down because I was in the English Championship. I have been scoring goals so it really wasn’t a problem, to be fair. I just carried on what I’ve been doing.”