‘Brighton are the world’s most forward-thinking club’: Jason McCarthy on retiring at 29 to coach - 问鼎h5

Former Wycombe defender thought he might end up becoming a pastor but stayed in the game he loves

“You blow your whistle and then, all of a sudden, voom, you have 20, 30 people standing to attention,” says Jason McCarthy, discussing his transition into coaching after retiring from playing aged 29. He put on his first sessions while a defender at Wycombe, taking the club foundation’s under-16s. “I was so flustered. I learned very quickly: if I’m going to do this in front of men – hopefully, eventually – then I need to practise.”

He accepted the role of Brighton’s under-21s assistant at the start of last year and recently returned to the role after two months in interim charge this summer, while the head coach, Shannon Ruth, supported Fabian Hürzeler’s first-team staff. McCarthy has huge admiration for Hürzeler, Brighton’s impressive 33-year-old head coach who at 31 became the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history and was part of his interview process.