SOCCER: Lee Martin is a man of many talents - player, physio and goalkeeping coach.

Macc's second-choice stopper is filling all of those roles this season, and is thriving on the responsibility.

He is even taking some of the credit for Steve Wilson's good start to the season.

"David Moss gave me a bit of a compliment when he was praising Willo in a team talk recently," Martin said.

"The gaffer looked at me said that he wondered how much of Willo's good form was down to my coaching.

"Of course, I said it was entirely down to me."

Martin's down-to-earth sense of humour has made him a popular figure in the Macc dressing room.

And his willingness to use his physiotherapy training and goalkeeping experience to help out the Silkmen may well have ensured his long-term future at the Moss Rose.

David Moss put Martin on the transfer list back in February after stating that Wilson was his first-choice keeper.

Moss felt that a club on Macc's tight budget could not afford two top-class keepers. But a summer reorganisation at the Moss Rose left the Silkmen looking for a new goalkeeping coach - and Martin stepped in to replace Mick Holgate.

The keeper is also filling in for physio Andrew Balderston, who left for Preston last month.

Martin qualified as a physio at Salford University earlier this year on a course paid for by the PFA.

He has Martin Ollier - a friend of the club who works as a physio in Wilmslow - to carry out running repairs during games.

But the keeper is stil responsible for the day-to-day physio work, including pre-match fitness tests.

"I did it for a couple of pre-season games, when Andy Balderston was on holiday," he said.

"I was strapping players up and doing the fitness tests, running on as physio and playing the second half. I was getting a few jokes from the fans about that.

"But that was just for the early pre-season games against the non-league clubs. We wouldn't do that for the bigger friendlies or for league games.

He added: "I'm not finding it that difficult to combine the roles, to be honest. I'm enjoying it.

"I've always tried to do a little bit of coaching, and now the gaffer's given me the chance to do it every day.

"It's something I would like to do full-time in the future."

Martin certainly has the experience to coach. The Huddersfield-based keeper played at Wembley for England schoolboys, which also gave him the opportunity to travel Europe.

"I'm showing my age here, but I was lucky enough to play in an England schoolboys game televised live on ITV's World of Sport with Dickie Davies.

"I also got to play in Berlin's Olympic Stadium - although we got beaten 4-0.

"We went on a tour of Berlin, and this was when the Wall was still up. It was astonishing.

"But it's a lot to take in when you're 16. Everything was happening so quickly in terms of my football career that I just got taken along with it really."

Martin joined Huddersfield Town as a teenager. It was not the easiest time to be starting out with the club.

Martin was trying to establish himself in a dreadful Terriers side, which crashed out of the old Second Division in 1988.

It was the season they lost 10-1 to Manchester City - and only a stroke of fortune prevented Martin from being Huddersfield's keeper that day.

"I was lucky, because I played in the game before and the game after.

"But I was ill on the day we played City. The first I saw of the game were the highlights.

"It was surreal. I remember watching all ten goals, and you couldn't blame the keeper - Brian Cox - for any of them."

If that was the low point of Martin's time at Leeds Road, there were plenty of high points too.

He was voted Huddersfield's player of the year, and continued to be a success when he moved to Blackpool.

But four years of commuting to Bloomfield Road from his West Yorkshire home started to affect his health and his form.

After short spells with Bradford and Rochdale, Martin popped up in Halifax's Conference winning side, before moving to Macc in 1999. And although his first-team chances are limited these days, he is now passing on all that hard-won experience to Steve Wilson, Matt Higgins and Tim Deacy.

"I honestly think that Willo is one of the best keepers in the division," Martin said.

"Apart from maybe Neil Edwards at Rochdale, I've not seen anyone as consistent."

And how is he enjoying his three jobs?

"I am enjoying it. It's hard work, but at least I've got plenty to do."