Reserve team coach Keith Bertschin is grateful to current Sunderland boss Steve Bruce for giving him the chance to step back into football.

Bertschin enjoyed a playing career spanning more than 20 years and 17 clubs. He began his professional career with Ipswich before moving on to Birmingham, Norwich - where he scored 38 goals in 138 appearances - Stoke, Sunderland, Walsall and Chester.

He also had a brief loan spell in the United States for the Jacksonville Tea Men.

After retiring from the professional game, the striker played for eight non-league clubs, eventually rounding off his career with Stafford Rangers in 1998, scoring in his final appearance for the club.

But despite a long involvement with the game, Bertschin never really considered coaching until his professional career was nearing its end.

"I'd only ever dreamed about playing and I never really had any desire to coach, although I did want to pass on the little bit of knowledge I picked up," he said.

"If I could ever give something back, I was interested in doing that. There was a chap at Walsall called Paul Taylor who told me I should do the coaching.

"At the time the money wasn't in the game for players, but I had delusions of grandeur that I would go and do something else half as well as I did football.

"As an ex-pro it's not easy to start with nothing and go and do something else. To cut a long story short, I had probably four or five years out because I played until I was 41."

After working as a licensed players' agent, Bertschin's career path was changed forever following a chance phone call from Bruce, who had just moved into the area after taking over at Birmingham City.

"Steve came to Birmingham, his assistant manager couldn't come, he promoted his assistant manager from reserve team coach and I came in to fill that position," he recalled.

"Just by chance he'd rented some accommodation near my house; he rang me, we went out for a bite to eat and he gave me the chance to come back into football.

"I realised football had been my life and nothing can ever replace playing, but the idea of coaching younger players and keeping a little bit of fitness myself was a massive appeal.

"I went through all the licensing procedures over four or five years - we ended up going to Wigan and then came here. I've probably been with Steve as a coach for 10 years now and it seems like five weeks.

"We've had some wonderful teams - some unbelievable times - and we've had some difficult times. No matter who you're with, just when you think you've got the game cracked your world falls apart.

"We are always learning, we are never blase about a good position and we always work hard to drive on the players we're coaching. Hard work and mental toughness are fantastic qualities and important ones."

After Bruce was persuaded to head north to Wearside from Wigan last summer, Bertschin found himself also moving up to Wearside alongside Eric Black, Nigel Spink and fitness coach Will Royall.

He's quickly settled into the area and freely admits he's loving life in the north east.

"I live close to the ocean - I still have a home in the Midlands and to be honest I thought I'd miss it terribly. We have settled in extremely well up here.

"I've found a couple of nice restaurants which I use as my lounge! We keep good company, my wife's enjoyed up here and we're absolutely thrilled."

On the training field, Bertschin is enjoying the opportunity to work with two of the best coaches in the game in Bruce and assistant Black, the former manager of Coventry City.

Bertschin is relied upon as a steadying influence, an experienced head to bring the club's youngsters through the reserves, and he says he's learned a lot from watching his colleagues in action.

"Steve brought me in and gave me the opportunity to get back into the game," he said. "I've been very happy to learn from him and from the relationship with Eric as well.

"We are all quite close. Given that Eric had to shorten his career through injury early on in life, he has experience of coaching here, in Scotland and perhaps more importantly, in France.

"He is a terrific coach and fortunately for me I've been able to come into it quite late and bring my experience, having been in the English leagues for 20 years.

"I've learned about various types of coaching from Eric. The beauty of being able to watch someone else coach is that you can put your own slant on it.

"It's not like an exam paper where it's a tick or a cross. You can see the session, understand the thinking behind it and add it to your diary. The learning curve goes up and up all the time.

"Steve coaches very well, in a different style and not as much. Between the two of them, I think they have increased my coaching knowledge immensely. Some of my beliefs are in their sessions, which rubber-stamps what I think is right.

"The game is relatively simple - it's only managers, coaches and players which complicate it!"

And as for the boss himself? Bertschin says he's one of the best in the game, adding: "Steve has terrific pride and an aura about him. He's a very normal chap doing an abnormal job.

"He has been doing this for a long time now, he's learned a lot and I'm sure he'll be the first to say that you go on learning.

"I have enjoyed my time with him and working with the various sets of players. I couldn't be happier."