Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Crighton: Coach role hasn’t changed me
Airdrie skipper Sean Crighton is relishing his new coaching role at the club and insists his dual duties haven’t changed him.
The 30-year-old was appointed to Ian Murray’s backroom team in pre-season and the defender, who has academy coaching experience at Hamilton and Morton, has enjoyed a decent start with one win and a defeat.
He’s now a leader on and off the pitch for the Diamonds, but insists his more senior role within the squad won’t shift his focus.
He said:“it’s been good. There’s wee bits that change in terms of my preparation, I’ve got to be looking at opposition reports and trying to help the manager out as much as I can on that basis.
“But in my role as a player and the captain of the club nothing changes.
“I won’t change as a person around the place. “I’m a helping hand for the manager if he needs me. He’s the main man, Stuart Millar is the director of football, so they’ll tell me what they need from me. It’s a good working relationship we’ve got and it’s looking bright for the future.”
Part of Crighton’s role is helping integrate a host of new summer signings and young arrivals.
Eighteen-year-old striker Kyle Connell has come in on loan from Kilmarnock and midfielder Griffin Sabatini has made a temporary switch from Ukrainian outfit SK Dnipro.
Crighton, who went out on loan to Montrose as a youngster at St Mirren, added:“i did it myself, you go out on loan and it’s important the experienced ones around you help you.
“We’ve got a few experienced ones in the likes of myself, Callum Fordyce, David Hutton, Dale Carrick and Callum Gallagher. They’ll all help these guys as much as they can.
“We’ve got a good blend in there. We’ve got youth and a bit of experience, which is so important. The boys that we’ve brought in, even the likes of Leon Mccann and Kyle Macdonald who we’ve got from last year, are young but they are eager. They are willing to learn.
“Thomas [Robert] has come in, Kyle and Griffin as well and they are a hard-working group. I think that’s one thing, if you are playing against us, you’d say we’re hard-working. That’s not changed with the boys we’ve brought in.”