JIM McAlister says he’s already planning for life after he hangs up his boots – by working on his coaching badges.

The Ton captain’s deal runs out in the summer and he has previously said that he doesn’t want to turn out for another side.

The midfielder has already been laying the foundations for what could happen once he stops playing by getting his SFA pro-licence, as he eyes up a career in the technical area

He told the Tele: “I’m doing my coaching badges just now.

“I started them last summer and went through my B licence and was supposed to be doing the A licence this summer, but with everything going on that will be another thing that gets affected.

“The SFA currently have more pressing things to worry about than that just now, but the plan is to go on and do that at some point.

“I was always told by senior players when I was younger to do your badges whilst you were still playing.

“You never know what could come of it. I could do something similar to the gaffer and come back to the club at a later stage, but I don’t know if management is something I’d be interested in.

“The coaching side definitely would be though. 

“It might not turn out to be at a first team level but maybe at a younger stage in an academy or something like that.

“It gives you an objective to see kids develop and to get better and forge a pathway for them to make it into the game.

“You get a great sense of achievement from that, that could be something that I look at in future.”