Blackburn Rovers first-team coach Eddie Niedzwiecki made his way into coaching very early in life after being forced to retire at the age 28 due to injury, and he has made the most of his head start by achieving the Pro Licence. 

A Welsh footballer of Polish origin, Eddie was a goalkeeper for Wrexham until the summer of 1983, when he was signed for Chelsea by former Wrexham manager, John Neal. He quickly won a regular place in the Chelsea starting line-up and was impressive as the side romped to the Second Division title in his first season.

After retiring Eddie went on to become a coach at Chelsea before working with Arsenal and Wales. He is currently first-team coach at Blackburn Rovers under Mark Hughes.

TheFA.com caught up with Eddie at Warwick University on his thoughts on the Pro Licence: “I thoroughly enjoyed it, I found it quite inspirational at times. The lectures have really been first class it is so much to take in at times but it’s all good for your education and knowledge to learn a variety of topics.

“I think the importance of getting together cannot be underestimated, 18 guys have been open and sharing ideas comfortably, this group has been very good.

“We’ve known each other for a long time and our paths have crossed several times in the past. To then work together and live together in this way, really helps the relationships and sharing ideas is essential."

Eddie was full of praise for the way the course was delivered, and insisted that it had really strengthened his coaching ability.

“There was a tremendous learning curve that is for sure, and I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and would urge anyone to come on it and see for themselves what they can learn.

“It’s important that you try to broaden your knowledge and your understanding of the game. Some times it’s said that a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing, but it can be very very useful."

Despite gaining a great deal from the past year of studying, Eddie is refusing to get carried away with the information he has gained.

“No one assumes that they are an expert after a few lectures and training courses, what you do do is that you grasp it and take that little bit of knowledge to hopefully take yourself to the top of your profession," he told us.

“It’s a great relief to finish because I remember sitting here a year ago and it seemed a very daunting prospect, but I would entreat anyone to do it because it has been tremendous.

“From a personal point of view I’ll go back to Blackburn Rovers and hopefully share the ideas I’ve learned with the players and the other coaches. There will be four of us who have the Pro Licence at Blackburn now which is wonderful.”