GLOBETROTTING coach Gordon Forrest believes nurturing young talent will bring success to Dunfermline after having first hand experience of its benefits in North America.

The 37-year-old former Woodmill High School pupil has embarked on a successful career since retiring as a player at Berwick Rangers and is currently assistant manager with MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps, who boast former USA international Jay DeMerit and ex-West Ham and Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker in their ranks.

Formerly the club's under-18 head coach and manager of coaching development after joining in 2012, he was promoted to work as head coach Carl Robinson's number two in January having previously worked for the SFA developing football in Fife and as an assistant to the New Zealand women's team who reached the last eight of the 2012 London Olympics.

Pars fan Forrest still has family in the city and took in their match with Rangers in December during a visit over the festive period and told Press Sport, "I always look out for the club and I took my wee boy to his first game against Rangers. It was a different atmosphere than what he's used to but the exciting thing for me was seeing young players developing and being given the opportunity to develop. It's great credit to the fans and club and shows what can happen if you manage players correctly. I wish that a few other clubs would give them the same opportunity and bring bits of how we work into the Scottish environment.

"The SFA's performance schools are definitely the way forward. All MLS clubs have a full-time residency programme with players from all over Canada who stay with local families. They go to the same school with fitness in the gym at 6.30am, school from 8.30am-1.30pm then they train with coaches in the afternoon.

"MLS clubs are trying to create more home-grown players, which is exciting for younger ones to have the opportunity.

"The job at Vancouver intrigued me because of that and we have a really young squad of players 22 and under, which is exciting for me." Forrest continued, "It was a great opportunity for me as the club have a massive fanbase and the MLS is growing. A lot of big names are here now like Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill at New York and Jermain Defoe at Toronto, so it has been a fantastic experience so far. It was an opportunity I couldn't turn down and it has added to me developing as a coach." Not ruling out a future return to Scotland, he added, "In football you always keep avenues open and I still have a lot of contacts in the Scottish game, but I've worked hard over the last two and a half years to get this opportunity so we'll see how things develop."