By Pete Oliver

Grayson is getting his first taste of management

Who says you can not teach an old dog new tricks?

Veteran striker Neil Grayson admits that a managerial role had never crossed his mind while continuing to knock in the goals well into his 40s.

"I have tried not to think about that. I have always said if you start thinking about it you can become pre-occupied. You can't beat the playing side of it," he said.

That has all changed, though, with Grayson now helping to hold the reins at Stafford Rangers following the departure of long-serving manager Phil Robinson at the end of last month.

Together with team-mate Kevin Street, 43-year-old Grayson has been placed in temporary charge of the struggling Blue Square Premier club.

And it is a challenge he is willing to embrace to help steady the ship at Marston Road, where Robinson had been in charge for five-and-a-half largely successful years.

"They asked us if we would take over initially for a couple of weeks to see how it goes and just keep the club running," Grayson told BBC Sport.

I have not done anything on the management side, but I know about coaching and training Neil Grayson

"We both want to keep playing and if it interferes with playing we will have to have another look at it.

"But we said we would do it and we are enjoying it at the moment. It's up to them if they want us to do it for longer but if it goes right, we are both willing to."

Like Grayson, Street goes into the role with no management experience.

But playing over 100 times under Dario Gradi at Crewe before spells with Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury has given the 30-year-old a decent grounding.

"I think the lads know we have got a few games under our belts, we are not just a couple of new people into the game," added Grayson, whose own career has included productive spells at Northampton, Hereford, Cheltenham and Forest Green.

"I have not done anything on the management side, but I know about coaching and training.

"It's made a bit of a change, having something different to think about than just being a player.

"Having Kevin on the sidelines has helped in matches, although he is fit and ready to play again now.

It won't be easy being a part-time club in this league Neil Grayson

"In training obviously there is more to do, apart from setting up and tidying up afterwards and being the last one away from the club - apart from the posers doing their hair!"

That's one problem the balding Grayson does not have to worry about.

There are plenty of others that are his concern though - not least Stafford's current run of 14 games without a win.

Last Saturday, Rangers had just 16 fit players to call on but at least scored three times away at league leaders Aldershot to give them some encouragement and help keep them off the bottom of the table on goal difference.

And Grayson, who was among the scorers, and Street now have a break from league action until Boxing Day while they get the chance to impose their ideas in FA Trophy and Setanata Shield ties.

"It gives the lads a bit of a breather from the league where we need every point we can get.

"They are not easy games in the cups but it's just something a little bit different and it would be nice if we could get some results and have a bit of a run to bring some money into the club," said Grayson.

Money at Stafford is tight and budget restrictions contributed to the departure of Robinson, one of three managers from the bottom five clubs to leave this season.

It looks as though those five teams will battle it out for the four relegation places and if he remains in charge, Grayson hopes to win the survival race.

"The initial target is to get to fifth from bottom spot and the quicker we get points on the board the better," he said.

"We want to try and get to fifth bottom and then put some distance between ourselves and the rest, although it won't be easy being a part-time club in this league.