As Craig Easton prepared to shell a coconut with a machete, one obvious thought crossed his mind.
“I’m going home missing a digit, here.”
Easton, mercifully boasting a full compliment of fingers and thumbs, is back on Scottish soil and speaking to Courier Sport following his first taste of coaching in the Caribbean.
The ex-Dundee United favourite has been appointed to the staff of the Montserrat national team and is determined to embrace every adventure, challenge and idiosyncrasy.
He adds: “It was actually one of the younger lads who grew up on the island — he was showing me how to get into the coconut. The he said, “now you have a go”. I had the same mentality about everything on the trip: soak up every new experience.”
That philosophy was a useful one when he took his place immediately behind the pilot on a seven-seater plane from Antigua to Montserrat.
“I can honestly say I’ve never been on a plane that small before,” smiled Easton. “You are bunched up right beside the pilot. I was almost sitting next to him!
“The pilot was different class — he’s doing that all the time; sprints across the water — and he looked after us, even with a wee crosswind on landing!
“It took a while. We had a travelling party of 35, plus luggage, and we were going seven people at a time, so you can do the maths on that. But it was an amazing flight. The views were spectacular.”
Natural beauty
Indeed, Montserrat is one of the more wild and rugged of the Caribbean islands; a far cry from slick, tourist-friendly neighbours such as Barbados, St Lucia and Antgua.
Natural beauty abounds, with such forestry, soaring peaks and miles of coastline.
However, its infrastructure is still developing following the devastating Soufrière Hills volcanic eruptions in 1997 which killed 19 people and decimated the capital city of Plymouth.
“When Locky called me, my first question was, “where’s Montserrat?” I knew it was an island in the Caribbean but, beyond that, I didn’t know much else,” Easton continued.
“I did a little bit of research, read about the volcano and the earthquakes that the island has endured, and it was really interesting to learn a bit about the history of the country.
“You can visit the old capital, Plymouth, but the exclusion zone is covered in dust and lava flows. It was totally destroyed.
“So it’s only natural that the country is redeveloping and it’s not like some of the other Caribbean islands that have loads of tourism. But it is a stunning island — hills, forests and secluded bays.
“I know they are working hard to entice people back to the island.”
Experienced backroom staff
The aforementioned “Locky” is Matt Lockwood — former Dundee defender and assistant manager — who Easton played alongside at Leyton Orient.
Lockwood recently replaced ex-Scotland international Willie Donachie at the helm of Montserrat following a spell as technical director.
Lockwood was a pivotal part of the Deefiant squad that belied a 25-point deduction to secure Championship survival in 2011 and subsequently represented the club in the top-flight.
“We got on really well at Orient and I know exactly how he works and the professionalism he had as a player throughout his career,” added Easton. “We both had very similar outlooks and I’m excited to work with him.”
Moreover, the entire staff assembled by Montserrat is an impressive one.
Lockwood’s assistant, Ryland Morgans, has worked with Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool, the Wales national team and CSKA Moscow.
James Rowland is a respected physio with Cardiff City.
David Preece, the former Aberdeen stopper who has coached at Sunderland, will work with Montserrat’s goalkeeper.
Easton added: “I actually got David (Preece) involved. I went to Staffordshire University with him — we did a sportswriting and broadcasting course — and I asked if he would be interested in being goalkeeping coach. He brings unbelievable experience.”
Lofty ambitions
While exotic surroundings and formative experiences are a lure, the new coaching team are serious about embracing an onerous footballing challenge — underlined by a 4-0 defeat against Haiti in Lockwood’s first game in charge.
A solid 0-0 draw against Guyana followed three days later.
The population of Montserrat is 5,000 — roughly the same as Bridge of Allan — and the squad is largely made up of players from English non-league football who are eligible through familial links.
Nevertheless, the Montserrat FA have invested in a new training base and are keen to create an upwardly mobile, professional set-up to entice players who possess dual citizenship.
Matty, Chris and Joe Willock — of Salford City, QPR and Newcastle, respectively — Jeriel Dorsett at Kilmarnock, Donervon Daniels of Walsall and Birmingham’s Nico Gordon are among those eligible.
Ex-Falkirk and Partick Thistle ace Lyle Taylor boasts 10 goals in 13 games for Montserrat but the Nottingham Forest striker was unavailable through injury.
“They have built a new training facility for the national team,” added Easton.
“As well as the pitch, there is accommodation, meeting and medical rooms, a canteen — they’ve done a really good job to give the players good surroundings while they are on the island.
“The players we met were fantastic; their work ethic and how they welcomed us. A lot of them are from the London area and play non-league.
“But there are other players out there who qualify through dual nationality.
“We are trying to make the national team inviting, professional and exciting — so that any players with dual nationality see playing for Montserrat as a real opportunity.
“We want to help build something that lasts.”
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