By Lawrence Trott Before the question is asked... no Donald Dane is not interested in the soon-to-be-vacated President's position at the Bermuda Football Association.

Charlie Marshall's predecessor says he is finished with football, though he revealed yesterday there was one position that almost lured him back into the sport.

It was an opportunity to return to coaching for the first time since 1978, and it was tempting enough for Dane to give the matter some serious thought.

However, much to their disappointment, St. George's were told by the Director of Transportation that, after much consideration, he had decided not to take the coaching position vacated by Gregory Foggo.

Dane was invited to St. George's in the final month of last season to give Foggo a hand and though he had been away from the game almost entirely since giving up the BFA post in 1991, he quickly got back into the swing of things.

"Prior to going to help with Colts, I saw one match and that was the Martonmere Cup final between Devonshire Colts and Boulevard (1993),'' explained Dane.

"It was the first match I had been to in a number of years and the next one was the Friendship final (this year) between Dandy Town and Vasco. "No, I'm not going back to football. There are too many other things I want to do.'' But he admits he almost took St. George's up on their offer, only deciding against after discussing the matter with his family and a couple of close friends.

"I think the (St. George's) players had a lot to do with it,'' said Dane.

Like Gary Darrell, who was also offered the post, Dane's St. George's connections go back a long way. So far, in fact, that he coached the fathers of some of the current St. George's players when he was a school teacher at East End Primary in 1959 and later started the St. George's Youth Club to provide a higher level of competition.

He went to Wellington Oval this year and said he was immediately impressed with the talent that he saw -- players like goalkeeper Troy Hall, defenders Phillip and Dean Bailey, Andre Todd and Gregg Foggo. So impressed that he predicted he could lead the team to a major title -- their first -- in three years.

"They asked me to come down about a month before the season ended and work with the team,'' explained Dane. "I was thoroughly impressed with their work rate, discipline and willingness to work hard to improve themselves.

"I said to Greg, give me three years and I could make this into a championship side. I don't see why St. George's can't be a power to be reckoned with.

"I was most impressed with the way we got along so well, so quickly. If they had somebody down there who could do the job well that team could go places.'' Dane's first coaching stint, which began in St. George's at the age of 22, was followed by his most successful one -- at Devonshire Colts five years later.

Even today he is remembered, and respected, as a coach who applied a strict code of discipline and got results.

In the 13 years he coached Devonshire Colts he led them to all the major honours, including back to back league and FA Cup triumphs in the early 1970s.

One of the people he spoke to about the St. George's offer was current Devonshire Colts coach Lorenzo Symonds, who came through the Colts system under Dane.

"He's like a son of mine and he said `if you want to coach you better come back here','' Dane remembers of the conversation.

Apart from watching his 13-year-old grandson play for the St. George's minors, Dane insists has no desire to get involved again in a major way.

That's all a part of my past,'' he said of his spell as BFA president which ran from 1986 to '91 and involved entry into the World Cup qualifying, though not without opposition to the idea.

TALKING SOCCER -- Donald Dane (left) and St. George's coach Gregory Foggo seen together during a First Division game between St. George's and Devonshire Colts last season.