Inverness Caledonian Thistle Scottish Cup hero enjoying new focus in Stockport
Inverness Caledonian Thistle legend James Vincent says he has greatly enjoyed his move into coaching – and the unique project he is a part of at Stockport.
Scorer of Caley Thistle’s winning goal in the 2015 Scottish Cup final, Vincent’s playing days have practically drawn to a close since his second spell in the Highland capital came to an end in 2021.
Short spells at Hereford and FC United of Manchester followed his second exit from Inverness.
At the end of March, though, he joined the Stockport project.
Vincent plays for Stockport Town, who play in the 10th tier of English football but share owners with Stockport County in England’s League Two.
They operate Town as something of a feeder club for County, with Vincent’s role being to help develop younger players who have the potential to step up to the higher level.
“Things are going really well for me,” Vincent explained.
“I have basically moved into full-time coaching now.
“I lead the youth development phase at Stockpot, overseeing the under-13 to under-16 age groups.
“It has been a bit of an eye-opener seeing what you need to do. You take these little parts from former managers that were good and try to drop them in as well.
“As far as playing, I play for Stockport County’s feeder club essentially, Stockport Town. The idea is to get them a couple of leagues below so that it an be a good transitional club for young boys to get some first team football.
“It’s a really exciting thing to be a part of.
“You do a bit of mentoring towards the end of your career anyway – I remember Richie Foran was that sort of person, always there for advice and help – so the next stage is implementing what I’ve learned to help others.”