Shaun Pearson exclusive interview: Ryan Reynolds in Wrexham and a coaching journey with Grimsby years in the making

Shaun Pearson remembers the precise moment he realised he had completed his transition from player to coach. It was last August and Grimsby Town were preparing to play against Manchester City's U21 side in the Football League Trophy.

The conversation turned to their penalty shoot-out win against the same opposition in the previous season. Pearson had converted the decisive kick. "One of the lads just started laughing because he could not picture me playing," he tells Sky Sports.

"I am not sure that is a compliment really, is it? It meant I was obviously that bad they could not imagine me out there. But, at the same time, the players clearly saw me as a member of staff and not a player. I had made the transition. That is what I wanted."

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In truth, it is no great surprise that Pearson, 35, has settled into his role as Grimsby's assistant head coach. "I started coaching when I was 14," he recalls. He took charge of his little brother's team with the supervision of his father. Coaching was his calling.

"It is something I always wanted to do. When I signed for Grimsby at 22, I helped take the U9s in my first year." The result is that after making the switch to full-time coaching there were those in the Mariners squad who he had first worked with over a decade ago.

"I think there are five of the trainees here who I took as U10s seven years back. I am full circle with some of them. I was either captain or part of the leadership group throughout my career in any team that I played in from the age of 18 all the way through to 34."

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Most footballers prefer to focus on themselves in what can be a testing industry. Did it impact his playing career? The thought has crossed his mind. "I was much more understanding if I was left out. Did that make me a little bit easier to drop? I don't know."

But what might have been a hindrance is now a help. Those years as an academy coach prepared him for working with the seniors. "A lot of first-team players are very young men really. There are similarities. Even some of the older players need attention too."

Pearson sees himself as a "reassuring figure if people need it" and believes his experience with younger players has helped to ensure he can connect with the modern footballer. "I think one of the big things with that is terminology," he explains.

"Nobody really says counter-attack anymore, for example. They talk about transitions. If you work in academies, you actually pick up the language that they are using on a daily basis. That is important. Knowing their language can aid you in a big way."

His progression was fast-tracked last season when Paul Hurst departed and Pearson found himself thrust into a caretaker role alongside Ben Davies. Grimsby had lost five in a row but were unbeaten during his five games in charge. "It was eye-opening."

It is telling that Pearson can give a blow-by-blow account of the ebb and flow of each of those five games. "The first week went really, really well. We had a really good response from the group. Then we got to Slough in the FA Cup, two divisions below us."

He continues: "The first 15 minutes was really good, some of the stuff we had worked on came out and I am thinking, this is fantastic. And then they scored a wonderful free-kick and the rest of the half we are under the pump. I realised how quickly it can change.

"We got ourselves together at half-time and got the messages across. I was pleased with how we did not overreact because it could have been rabbit-in-the-headlights time. It kept us in the cup." Grimsby won the replay emphatically, 7-2 back at Blundell Park.

Every match was a learning experience. "At home to Morecambe we went 1-0 down inside a minute. Do you stick to what you have worked on or throw it all out the window? We ended up winning 3-2." A comeback draw at Forest Green tested him again.

After sending on a substitute whose error almost cost Grimsby the game, some blamed the player. Instead, typically, Pearson looked to himself. "Was it my nervous energy that transferred to him? I should have been calmer. My manner needed to be better."

Now, while supporting new manager David Artell, Pearson has had time to reflect on this first taste of the big job. "We definitely had an initial response but how do you keep that energy? If I ever get the opportunity again, that would be the biggest challenge."

Artell will surely benefit from his continued input. Few know Grimsby better than Pearson. They were a National League team when he signed from Boston United in 2011. He has seen the club revived. "The changes have been massive here," he says.

"Back then, Chris Doig was player-assistant manager. Steve Croudson was the goalkeeper coach, kit man and reserve-team manager. Now we have a sports scientist, an analyst, a full-time kit man. We are definitely in a better place and moving forward.

"Off the field has probably been the biggest change. The training ground here has moved on a lot. The work that people did behind the scenes to keep the academy going was phenomenal. Without a doubt, the place has been transformed in terms of investment."

Hollywood calls at Wrexham

Pearson has seen how clubs can change for the better. He played almost 300 games for Grimsby across two spells, but some still know him best from his time at Wrexham. He was captain when Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their takeover.

"I could not speak more highly of them," says Pearson. "What you see is what you get. I don't think it's a charade. They are really good people." Although he left Wrexham before the series aired, he was fully involved, opening up his family life to the producers.

"I was one of the people who was right behind it from the start. They would film us walking the kids to school, days out with the family. When I was on an overnight trip, they would go and film with my family. They weren't pushy, but we were open to that.

"They never actually used much of the stuff from the first year for the series in the end. The guy who produced it sent me a message apologising for the amount of our time they had taken up. It was fine. I would have been more nervous if it had been used!

"But I had a wonderful time there. My little boy was born in Wrexham. The one thing I like to think that I have done is immerse myself in the community at both of my full-time clubs. I think supporters appreciated that. I hope they end up getting to the very top."

Ambitions for more at Grimsby

What of Grimsby's chances? After a difficult season in which they finished only two places above the relegation zone, there is optimism they can enjoy a better campaign under Artell. Pearson is convinced the margins are small.

Incredibly, Grimsby scored the opening goal of the game inside the first half on 21 occasions last season - the same as Wrexham and Mansfield, who both won automatic promotion - but were continually pegged back. They won only 11 games in total.

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"We got ourselves into many good positions and then threw away a lot of those points. If we can turn six or seven of those draws into wins, all of a sudden you move a long way up the table. Those small improvements could turn into a big improvement in points.

"So, I don't think the improvement needs to be quite so dramatic as it looks. We have the spine of a team, a good base to build on. The league has a more open feel to it so we want to change the mentality, not just surviving in League Two but trying to thrive."

Whatever comes next, Pearson is determined this is just the start. "It is not easy to have longevity in coaching but that is what I am after. I am not going to hide away from the fact that I want to be a manager one day." That work began when he was just 14.

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