More to Pars’ new physio than just his ice packs

Dunfermline’s new physio has revealed he is just at home on the ice as he is with an ice pack thanks to his background as a speed skater in his native New Zealand.

Jamie Sutton has joined the Pars backroom staff after a 16-month stint working with St Johnstone.

The Kiwi represented his country at both inline and short track speed skating, working his way up to the Olympic squad before taking a step back to complete his physiotherapy qualifications.

He subsequently moved to Melbourne for a year to help train the Australian skating team as part of their Olympic Winter Institute programme.

But, after a spell as physio with New Zealand top-flight champions Auckland City, Sutton and Scots wife Leah moved to Edinburgh in 2018, giving up the ice rink for a football pitch.

He explained: “I am from Hamilton (NZ) originally, which is semi-famous because of The Hobbit movies, but I had been living in Auckland for six or seven years until we moved over here and I was working in football in Auckland as well.

“I used to compete in speed skating for New Zealand. I trained with the Olympic squad over there for a while before I went back and finished my physio qualifications.

“I also lived in Melbourne, Australia, for 12 months to train the Australian short track skating team as part of the Olympic Winter Institute of sport.

“That is where my passion lies but I’m interested in most sports. Being from New Zealand you get a lot of rugby but I grew up on football and that is why I want to work more in football.

“Once I started to get more involved in football and working within clubs the skating fell by the wayside a little bit.”

Sutton replaces Kevin Bain, who left Dunfermline to join St Mirren, and started with the Pars in April after the football lockdown because of the Covid19 pandemic.

He added: “It has been a bit of an interesting start to a job. I was meant to come in April but obviously coronavirus hit.

“I have been working through the Covid-19 crisis trying to get to know the players and, if anyone has any niggles through this time, trying to get them back, when they are allowed, with no big issues.”