Derek Soutar Interview

DEREK SOUTAR

Goalkeeping coach Derek Soutar shares his thoughts on what it’s like working with club legend Stuart McKenzie.

What were your first impressions of Stuart when you became our goalkeeping coach a year ago? I knew before I joined Cove Rangers that Stuart was very reliable. I had played against him many times, in pre-season games as well as in the Highland League, so I was well aware of his ability as a goalkeeper. But my admiration for him increased swiftly once I started working closely with him, week in, week out. It’s clear why Cove Rangers have been so happy to have Stuart as their first choice goalkeeper for so many years. I also admire the fact he has chosen to stay with the club for so long, I know there has been a fair bit of interest in him over the years. Stuart has remained loyal to Cove Rangers, which is something you don’t see much of in football nowadays.

Has it surprised you to see Stuart remain the first choice keeper after we made the step up from the Highland League to the SPFL?

Not in any way. It could be argued Stuart was playing beneath the level he should have been at when Cove were in the Highland League. The club has since progressed up to a grade Stuart is perfectly suited to.

Cove had the best defensive record in the league last season and it was the same in the two other campaigns since they stepped up to the SPFL.

I know we go on about it being a team effort, but Stuart has played a huge part. He went on a run of nine clean sheets in 10 games last season, which is absolutely outstanding at any level.

To have also been part of a team that clinched the League One title on the back of a 26 game unbeaten run emphasises just how talented a goalkeeper Stuart is. You could look across Europe and struggle to pick out other keepers who have come close to recording those sort of statistics. To have done that after making the step up from the Highland League is amazing and shows why everyone at the club is glad Stuart is in our squad.

Stuart has also had to deal with strong competition from other goalkeepers during that time. That is a good thing because there is a danger you could become too comfortable if you have been the first choice at a club for a long time. Things like seeing Kyle Gourlay start last season as first choice have only inspired Stuart to work even harder to win the jersey back.

You have worked alongside many top keepers throughout your career, how does Stuart compare to them?

As far as the lower divisions in the SPFL go, you have to say Stuart is among the best I have seen over the last decade or so. I’m basing that on the consistency he has shown in the three seasons Cove Rangers have played at that level. He is also a lot different to many of the goalkeepers I have worked with over the years.

Most of them have been a bit loud - or daft as some people might prefer to say. I was certainly known for being a bit mad, but Stuart is nothing like that at all. He is a very calm, laid back, character… he can come across as pretty shy. I have to confess that was something that took a bit of getting used to. But I could see from the respect Stuart was shown by everyone in the dressing room - and by how much he is loved by everyone at the club - that it wasn’t a problem for them, so it has never been a problem for me either. Stuart prefers to go out about his business in a quiet manner - but he gets the job done and that’s all that matters in the end.

There were many occasions last season when he was pulling off amazing saves when it was maybe still 1-0 or 0-0. Because we went on to win them those saves tend to be forgotten by a lot of people, but not by those of us who know how determined Stuart is to go out there every week to do his best for Cove Rangers.

So is Stuart a grafter out on the training pitch?

I’m hardly going to say no to that one am I! He’s at the age now, at the latter stages of his career, when he knows the more you put into training the more it helps you in the actual games. Stuart pushes himself very hard in every session and it shows in his performances.

I appreciate the fact he has been happy to go along with my methods, which may differ a little from some of the goalkeeping coaches Stuart has worked with in the past. Most of what we do is short, sharp and intense and can be very taxing at times. Stuart - and Kyle - never complain though because they know everything is aimed at helping them play better.

Stuart has never played at Championship level, are you confident he will cope with that in the coming season?

You need have no worries on that front. The step up to the Championship couldn’t have been better timed for Stuart. He was a top keeper in the Highland League and has now benefited from the experiences of playing for three seasons in the lower divisions in the SPFL. Cove will be up against mainly full-time opposition next season, but that won’t phase Stuart, I doubt if anything ever does. He is also going in there with a club that is on the crest of a wave right now. The guys around him on the pitch will also be fired up for the challenge of seeing if they can compete in the Championship and you can be sure Stuart will feed off that.

I would love to be in his boots right now - marking my testimonial year by playing for Cove Rangers in the Championship for the first time in the club’s 100 year history.

Unfortunately, my body would say no to that! I had to retire around the age Stuart is now because I ruptured one of my shoulders. If he avoids any serious injuries I would expect to see Stuart still out there competing to play at this sort of level for the next six years or so.

I was fortunate to be in Scotland squads years ago, along with Craig Gordon and Allan McGregor, and they are still playing at Premiership level. Stuart is certainly capable of continuing for as long as those two have and that can only be good for Cove Rangers.