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COFFEE SHOP PALS WILKIN AND FLANAGAN GO HEAD TO HEAD TONIGHT TO SEE WHICH ONE WILL HAVE THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Salford v St Helens, 7.45pm JON WILKIN and Mark Flanagan’s friendship has survived a business venture, on-field knock-outs and now a no-holds-barred podcast together.
The former St Helens team-mates line up against each other at Salford tonight with Wilkin having been concussed by an accidental clash of heads between them the last time they met.
But that is put to one side when they are discussing the next expansion of their city-centre coffee shop or planning their new “Whippets and Flatcaps” podcasts.
Eddie Hearn, James Haskell and Jonny Bairstow have been among the guests – although the focus from Wilkin and presenter Will Perry can also home in on Flanagan. Saints’ Wilkin said: “If you look
at the psychology of any group there’s always a person that attracts more attention and stick, if you like. In our triumvirate it’s Mark – but that can change.
“The reason behind doing it is that we’re all passionate about sport and the principles in it.
“Will has the broadcasting background and Mark and myself felt we could bring some insights you might not get in other sources. We try to find interesting people, and when we can’t, we try and make Mark more interesting.
“To get Eddie Hearn on the first show was great. We got him at a really topical time with a lot of chat about him in rugby league, and he’s a guy that understands the promotion of sport.
“The sports psychologist Damian Hughes provided a fascinating insight into what makes a champion mindset – from Muhammad Ali to Jamie Peacock, via Barcelona.
“We’ve a few more big guests lined up in the next few weeks, including Johnny Vegas and Michael Vaughan.”
Alongside that Wilkin and Flanagan are adding a bakery to their Manchester coffee shop ‘Pot Kettle Black’, and opening a second site this summer.
Wilkin added: “We talk about artisan salads or loaves through the week, and then beat each other up at the weekend – it’s quite a contrast.
“When we started we thought it would just be coffee, but once we had good coffee we wanted it to be a brunch place – and by the end we’ll have gone full circle and have our own chickens laying our own eggs.
“A lot of lads in our squad play Playstation 12 hours a day.
“I’m sat at my laptop looking at spreadsheets while they’re fighting some fictional character with a spear online – it’s just different kinds of rest and relaxation.”