Why Huddersfield Town's Matty Pearson has no coaching plans despite studying for badges

The Keighley-born 31-year-old is hoping seeing the game from a coach's perspective can help him become a better player, and help keep him going until he is 40.

"I've started doing my coaching badges trying to learn a little bit of that side of the game as well and passing on little bits of information I wish I'd known when I was younger," says Pearson, who left Blackburn Rovers' academy as a youngster to work his way up from non-league football to the Championship, taking in the likes of Halifax Town and Barnsley.

"Brodie (Spencer)'s a prime example of doing stuff well. He's learnt from Tom Lees, a prime example of how to apply yourself.

"It's only my UEFA B, I'm just getting a feel for it and how it goes. I'm planning on playing until I'm 40."

Pearson's career path, which saw Blackburn loan him to Lincoln City as a teenager before moving permanently to Halifax gives him different perspectives to pass on as either a coach or senior professional.

"It helped me massively," says Pearson. "I ended up going on loan to Halifax and staying and I'd probably say that was the biggest learning curve of my career, getting to play two years in the National League. It taught me all the little bits you don't learn at academy level – how you get hurt and how you react.

"It's a massive part of my story. Everyone's different but it's definitely helped me."

So has learning to be a coach, even if he never goes down that path.

"It makes you think of it in a different way," he argues. "I'm a bit selfish, I'd always think, Why am I not playing?’ whereas this has made me see it from a coach's point of view."