Former commando stands on the front line for GFA

Tuesday 2nd December 2008, 2:29PM GMT.

PAUL MOONEY feels he is ‘the luckiest man on the planet’ to be the island’s new football development officer.

The position had been vacant from the time Chris Pringle stepped down in July 2007 until Mooney took up the reins seven weeks ago.

The 44-year-old was previously a coach educator for the English FA having been involved in football full-time for the last couple of years.

‘Silly doing it at 40-odd than doing it at 20-odd, but I’m following my dreams,’ he said.

‘It was an opportunity of a lifetime to come out here. I applied for the job, as a few did, and I was the lucky one to get it. I’m the luckiest man on the planet.’

Born in Somerset and brought up in Cornwall, Mooney (picturee) was a YTS apprentice at Plymouth Argyle before he decided that he was not going to make it as a professional footballer.