MARTIN McINTOSH reckons his old teammate Mark Robins has a fantastic opportunity as manager of Town – and can’t disguise a touch of jealousy!

While Robins gets ready for his first match at home to Premier League Wigan in the fifth round of the FA Cup tomorrow, former Town defender McIntosh will be in the dug-out at Silverlands as his Buxton side take on Eastwood Town in the Evo-Stik (Northern) Premier League top flight.

The 41-year-old Scot, who played alongside Robins at Rotherham and later had two years with Town (from 2005-07), is desperate to follow his old Millers mucker into league management.

Robins, of course, has bossed Rotherham, Barnsley and most recently Coventry – and McIntosh says that experience will be crucial as he tackles his latest job.

“In my eyes, it’s certainly Mark’s biggest challenge to date,” said McIntosh, who watched Town’s 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round replay win at Championship rivals Leicester on Tuesday.

“But I certainly think he has what it takes to make a success of it with Town.

“He was always a quiet kind of lad in the dressing room, but a very good professional who had a steely determination.

“Of course he had been very well schooled at Manchester United and had also played for big clubs in Norwich and Leicester as well as abroad before he arrived at Rotherham.

“He was very consistent as a player, and always looked after himself very well. I don’t recall him ever missing training, and he was the type who always took an interest in what managers and coaches had to say and how they went about things.

“As a manager, he’s caught the eye at both Rotherham and Barnsley.

“And in a short space of time, he did well at Coventry, who are another big club.

“They had real problems when he arrived (in September), but he’s lifted them right up the table (the Sky Blues are eighth in League I ahead of today’s trip to Bury).

Sheffield-based McIntosh, who also played for St Mirren, Clydebank, Hamilton, Stockport, Hibs, Mansfield and Alfreton, continued: “Now he’s got the Town job, and I’m delighted for him, because they are a great club with a lot of potential.

“It’s going to be a step up for him, because he’ll be dealing with some big-name players, and he’ll have to handle them and the expectation levels.

“There will be lots of demands on him, but as I’ve said, the experience he’s had already will come in very useful.”

Robins’ first Championship game at the helm will be at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, and McIntosh added: “His immediate priority is clearly to get Town up the table as soon as possible.

“I know from my time there how much they wanted to get out of League I, and to end up back there having finally won promotion last season would be a huge setback.

“I’m desperate to see Mark succeed, because I loved my time at Town and they are as big a club as any I played for.

“The club are run really well, with great and very loyal people behind the scenes.

“They are languishing a little bit at the moment, and are in a slightly dangerous position having lost their way a little and suffered a series of injuries.

“But they have good players and hopefully Mark will go in, steady the ship, get them away from trouble this time and then have a real go next season.”

On his own managerial aspirations, McIntosh explained: “I’m on a learning curve and really enjoying the challenge.

“I’ve done my coaching badges and worked at youth level and now non-league. It’s different to the full-time game, but having played at Alfreton and had a spell in charge at Worksop I knew what to expect.

“I’ve been at Buxton for a year now, and things are going well. We were second-bottom when I arrived, but we got 10 wins from 13 to stay up and we’ve kicked on from there.

“We’ve given both Guiseley (in the FA Cup) and Grimsby (FA Trophy) good games, we’ve won the Derbyshire Cup by beating Derby County and we’re pushing for the play-off places.

“But in the long term, I really want to get back to the level I was at as a player. You need someone to believe in you and give you the opportunity, and I believe I could do well back in the league.”

IT’S A TOP

OPPORTUNITY!