Fleetwood Town are delighted to welcome back legend Nathan Pond as he embarks on a two-year PFA Player to Coach course at the club.
Pond – who joined the club in 2003 – made 498 appearances for the Cod Army, playing a key role in the club’s rise up the divisions, and even found his name in the Guinness World Record for becoming the only player to play in seven different divisions for one club.
Here's what he had to say in his first interview back:
On coming back to Fleetwood…
“It feels good to be back, it was a bit strange going into Poolfoot and speaking to some of my old teammates, but have really enjoyed my first day so far. I’m here on a two-year player to coach scheme as I’m coming out of full-time football and heading into something I want to go into, which is coaching.
“I want to be a coach and there’s no better place for me to come than Fleetwood, it had to be here as we’ve got history. I came here as an 18-year-old and stayed until I was 32 as a player so I’ve spent plenty of time here and have plenty of memories here and to get to help the young lads grow and develop is great for me.
“I started doing my coaching badges two or three years ago, so I’ve got a couple of them sorted, but want a couple more in the future. As you get older as a footballer, you start thinking about your future, and to get to come back and coach at the club where I played the majority of my career is a bonus for me.”
On his history with the club…
“I came through here as a youngster and we were in non-league then, so I’ve experienced all sorts of things here in terms of the work you need to put in to become a professional footballer, to get to first-team level, and how to stay there for a prolonged period of time.
“I’ve got plenty of good memories here as we had plenty of success together. It’s weird coming through the tunnel and seeing some of the promotion pictures from previous years but it’s a good feeling when I see them.
“My three main memories would be my debut, then my football league debut, and finally our trip to Wembley in 2014 as it’s not very often you get to go there, win, and gain promotion to another division – that was a massive achievement for me and for the club.”
Watch Pondy's full interview on our iFollow HERE.