WALES have had few servants as loyal and as proud as Brian Flynn.

Despite making Burnley his home since his teenage years Flynn remains a proud Welshman.

He played 66 times for his country, was assistant manager with the under-18s, coached the under-21s for eight years and spent two games in temporary charge of the national team.

“You can’t do anything better in football than playing an international for your country against the best in the world,” he said.

“I was of the era of Zico and Socrates of Brazil, I played against them. I played against Franz Beckenbauer and Paul Breitner, in a fantastic German side.”

As a coach Flynn was with the Under 18s when a fresh faced Ryan Giggs first arrived on the scene, and then coached Gareth Bale in the under-21s.

“Development is a big part for me,” said Flynn, “especially when you first see a sight of a 16-year-old Ryan Giggs, and even more so recently a 15-year-old Gareth Bale.

“When you’re involved with that type of player and you’ve played a part in their development it’s great. To witness Ryan Giggs at 16 was special. His reputation was all around and I thought I’m looking forward to seeing this kid and it didn’t surprise me one bit.”

Despite his involvement with the national side Flynn’s biggest regret is missing out on the national team job to Gary Speed. He took temporary charge in September 2010 for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland, but both games ended in defeat and Flynn was overlooked for the late Speed for the job on a permanent basis.

“It was a challenge I was looking forward to, I was ready for it anyway,” he said.

“You can’t be bitter as a football manager because if you’re bitter you get angry and you can’t be angry in football, if you get angry you make bad decisions.

“I would have liked the job and would have liked to have continued. Time moves on though.”

Speed had started well in charge of Wales but his suicide in November 2011 shocked the football world, including Flynn, who had known Speed through the Welsh set-up.

“Nobody saw that coming, I knew him as a player and a coach and it was a real shock,” said Flynn.

After ending his time with Wales Flynn took a recruitment role at Doncaster, but stepped in up to manager after Dean Saunders left for Wolves in January. Flynn’s return to the dugout was a huge success as he guided Doncaster to the Championship as League One winners, but promotion was almost blown in the final minute of the season.

In a winner-takes-all match at Brentford, Doncaster conceded an injury time penalty which looked like costing them a place in the top two, but what happened next left football fans up and down the country speechless.

“I’ve been involved in last-minute winners, two late goals in a game, for you and against you, but when it’s a winner-takes-all game it was unreal,” said Flynn.

“We’re in the dugout and the fourth official puts five minutes up, ‘where did that come from?’, I thought, there weren’t many injuries and not much time wasting.

“We were dead comfortable with three minutes left, dead comfortable.

“Brentford have realised it isn’t happening and they lump one ball in there and the referee gives a penalty, looking back it was a penalty, it was definitely a penalty.

“I’m thinking ‘oh no, that’s us in the play-offs lads, that’s another three weeks’, and then what happened next will be famous on A Question of Sport.”

Had Brentford scored they would have been promoted instead of Doncaster, but the penalty hit the bar and Doncaster went straight up the other end to score the goal which won them the title.

Flynn said: “Billy Paynter was just in front of me on the pitch, he couldn’t believe it, he was sitting down with his shirt over his head and he’s praying, he didn’t want to see it. He could have been anywhere but he was right on the touchline in front of the dugout.

“Then the penalty hits the bar, it ricochets about and Quinny (Paul Quinn), our right-back, just hits it out of the box straight to Billy Paynter’s feet.

“Quinny could have thought I’m going to put this in row Z but he knocked it straight to his feet.

“I said to Billy ‘go, go for goal’, because he could have gone to the corner flag to waste time.

“He went straight to the goal, one on one with the keeper and (James) Coppinger makes 60 yards up on him. That was my big decision, go straight for goal, square it, 1-0, it was ridiculous.”

With promotion secured Flynn has once again taken a role upstairs in charge of recruitment and development at Doncaster.

This season he will return to Turf Moor with Doncaster but thinks both sides will face a tough battle in the league.

He said: “The Championship is a fierce league, it’s not as fierce as the Premier League obviously but it’s fierce in that most teams beat each other.

“Last year 54 points was relegation, it was ridiculous, with 54 points in March you usually get the cigars out.”

Flynn will be hoping that Doncaster and his adopted home town club Burnley can get the cigars out early next season.