Barry Douglas keeps his cool amid raft of plaudits

QUEEN'S Park left-back Barry Douglas is keeping his feet so firmly on the ground that he classes himself as a refrigeration and air-conditioning engineer first and a football player second.

The 20-year-old has been earning rave reviews after making his first team debut just 18 months ago and talk of scouts flocking to Hampden to watch him flying down the wing have left Douglas unfazed.

Rejection at an earlier age may be behind the player's reluctance to get over excited about a full-time career in football though.

Douglas said: "I was with Livingston when I was younger but they let me go when I was 16. That shattered my dreams of being a full-time footballer, especially as they said I was too small. I walked away from football for a year and never played until I was coaxed back by a player at the Queen's Park under-19 side. I am delighted I did as they have been a great club to me and I owe them a lot."

Douglas' first season at Hampden started in August 2008 and last season he walked away with nine man-of-the-match trophies and three Player of the Year trophies. Now he has added the Irn-Bru Phenomenal Young Player of the Month Award for January to his collection.

However, clubs circling Douglas for a summer signing may find his work may play a part in keeping him away from full-time football for the time being. Douglas said: "This is my third year in my job and my last doing college work but I have another two years to go before I am fully qualified. My granddad is a huge influence and he has told me to get a trade behind me and I speak to plenty of players that wished that had when they were starting out."