After more than 500 games in the Football League, Ian Sharps says he isn’t missing playing the game.

The Chester FC assistant manager hung up his boots at the end of last season, where he made 32 appearances for the Blues, and took up the role as number two to Jon McCarthy at the Lookers Vauxhall Stadium.

At 35 and having enjoyed a successful career that included spells at Tranmere Rovers, Rotherham United, Burton Albion and Shrewsbury Town, Sharps is now fully focused on his new role and insists that no longer being involved on the playing side isn’t something that he still yearns for.

“I’ve put it to bed to be honest,” said Sharps, who was Chester skipper last season.

“I don’t miss all the pre-match nuptials, the worry and all that. I trust the lads to go out and play and I’m not missing it.

“I enjoy playing in the five-a-sides and stuff but the actual game situation is a bit different now I think.

“If I was still on top of my game then it would have been different but I realised last year I wasn’t playing to the standards I wanted to play at and I think that helped my decision.”

And with such experience under his belt, Sharps is hoping his work ethic rubs off on the young Chester squad.

He said: “I have always worked on work ethic. I wasn’t the most skillful or exciting player to watch but I worked hard. I’m trying to instill that into the lads. We are trying to encourage them to go out there and improve themselves. It can’t be the manager and the staff all the time.

“We are getting there. We are moving away from the old days where management had to push everyone and I think that’s the way forward.

During his 18-year playing career Sharps played under a number of experienced managers including the likes of Ronnie Moore, Graham Turner and Gary Rowett.

And Sharps says that he has taken bits of each manager he has played under to try and help him improve as a coach.

He added: “You take the best bits of every manager that you’ve had.

“I think if you copy someone totally then you won’t do it as good as them but I take their ideas and amalgamate them to how I want to be.”