ALTHOUGH he had a successful playing career Stuart Slater knows only too well how difficult it can be to break through in to football's professional ranks.

The 42-year-old former West Ham United ace once left Upton Park to become Celtic's record-signing for a then whopping transfer fee of £1.5million.

But while his career was taking off several of his team-mates were discarded, never to play the sport again.

Now, coaching with SOCA in Chelmsford five days a week, he's helping to give something back to the game which gave him so much.

"I saw a lot of my mates not make (at football) it and leave it," he told the Chronicle. "At 16 they were devastated. They didn't know what to do.

"There was never a fall back if you weren't with a pro club it was just so hard and you had to get a job.

"So, hopefully, what we're doing here, if they don't have a career on non-league football or lower league football they can maybe progress into coaching or something else.

"All these lads have got such a wonderful opportunity, they need to embrace it.

"I mean they're coming in and being paid to play football everyday for 20 hours a week and three hours a week in the classroom."

Living in Chelmsford was never going to be a problem for the former England Under-21 International, he used to live with his Nan in Melbourne during his West Ham playing days.

And he says he's using the vast amount of knowledge picked up as a player to help these aspiring players at Chelmsford College alongside former Colchester United defender Kirk Game.

"When you talk about John Lyle, Graham Taylor, George Burley, Ron Greenwood, Bobby Moore for Kirk and myself, we've learned from the best, the highest," he said. "So if that's not good enough then nothing is.

"It's been really rewarding because we can see the difference between the boys we took at the start of the season, in their football ability, and where they are now.

"Lots of teams have commented on what a good footballing side we are. For me at this stage it isn't about results on the pitch.

"I'd rather produce players for the Chelmsford City first team than be top of the league."

When his own playing days were curtailed due to an Achilles problem Slater took to working as a PE teacher in several 'tough schools' in Harlow and Southend before taking over as director of football at King's Langley School for a successful four-year spell.