A COFFEE shop in Whalley is probably not the first place that springs to mind when plotting international football tactics but it is where former Burnley man Willie Donachie and his assistant and ex-Rovers star Mick Rathbone hold their weekly meetings.

Donachie, who spent two years with the Clarets in the early 1980s, is the manager of Montserrat, a tiny Caribbean island which was devastated by a volcano 23 years ago and is still rebuilding.

It is a far cry from running out at Turf Moor or Maine Road during Scotland international Donachie’s esteemed playing career, but the 67-year-old’s passion for his new job is clear.

And it’s the passion of the people that drive him on.

Montserrat may only have a population of 5,000 and it may be 202nd out of 211 in the FIFA World Rankings but they recorded a 2-0 win over Aruba last weekend, following a 1-0 victory over Belize last month, and there remains a hope that they could qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

“That would be unbelievable,” Donachie, who also coaches Accrington Stanley under-14s, told the Lancashire Telegraph. “It is a tiny country and half of it is still being rebuilt after the volcano.

“But everyone plays football. It is the nation’s game.

“The people are so friendly and warm.

“The first time I went over to Montserrat I stayed in this little guest house and I found out afterwards it belonged to George Martin. who produced a lot of songs for the Beatles.

“There was a gold disc from Ultravox in one room and other gold discs in the other rooms. It was a really quaint place.

“Montserrat is one of those places where if you were seen walking someone would pull over and offer you a lift for no reason whatsoever. Everyone is really friendly and they are very passionate about their football.”

Donachie is no stranger to Caribbean waters having previously been in charge of Antigua.

And it was that job which helped earn him a chance with Montserrat.

“About eight years ago I was coach of Antigua, which is not far from Montserrat, and they recommended me to Montserrat when they were looking for a new coach,” he added.

“I know a fair bit about Caribbean football and I wanted to be involved in the Nations League games which are a big thing in Montserrat.”

The final Nations League clash with the Cayman Islands is set to be the biggest of the lot with Montserrat, home to under 5,000 people, in with a chance of qualifying for the Gold Cup after back to back victories, the first coming thanks to a super strike from former Notts County and Boston United man Spencer Weir-Daley against Belize, which went viral on social media.

“The win over Belize was massive,” added Donachie who played more than 60 times for the Clarets between 1982-84.

“The game before we had played El Salvador and were drawing 1-1 with two minutes to go and they scored a winner.

“To get a draw against a country like El Salvador which has six million people would have been a fantastic result and to then go and beat Belize was wonderful.

“The goal we scored to win the game was special. If it was in the Premier League we would be watching it again and again.

“We had a lot of chances in that game, we hit the post and the keeper made a few good saves but it was great to win the game.

“It was great to win it for the people and to see the smiles on their faces. It was an unbelievable feeling.

“After the game one of the committee guys came and gave a speech to the players and said he was used to losing to basketball scores and couldn’t believe the result.

“It was a great occasion for everyone but I want to build on that now.”

Donachie, who played in two World Cups for Scotland during his career, searches high and wide for qualified players to represent the Emerald Boys.

Most of his squad play in the lower reaches of the English game and training takes place as and when possible.

“Most of our players are dotted around the world with a lot in the lower leagues of English football,” the Montserrat boss adds.

“The players are wholehearted and play a British style game, we are honest and committed and they are a great set of lads.

“Most of the scouting has involved going to English non-league clubs and checking on players and making sure they are eligible.

“I think we might have a couple of eligible players in Canada but we haven’t had a chance to find them yet.

“It is an eye-opener because you are watching some games at non-league grounds in the Essex league looking for international footballers.

“But all the lads are great and they really enjoy coming together to represent Montserrat.

“We can’t really train together too much because all the players are dotted around the world.

“Even for the English ones to come together takes a lot of effort so we tend to do the training when we are away for matches. We don’t play again until March so we will try and get the English-based players together for a training session in between.”

That next game could be one that goes down in history in the Caribbean.

Montserrat are currently 13th in a 34-team league where each side plays four matches to determine a finishing position. The bottom 12 sides will form League C of the Nations League with Montserrat aiming for League B. Should they finish in the top 10 they will qualify for next year’s Gold Cup, an aim Donachie doesn’t see as quite so fanciful ahead of that final fixture against a Cayman Islands side who have played two lost two.

He added: “The Nations League is a big thing for us, there are more than 40 countries in Concacaf from the USA and Mexico down to the likes of us.

“We are playing four matches now to decide which league we will be in going forward and we want to try and get into League B and avoid League C.

“The top teams in League B will get to go to things like the Gold Cup and that would be fantastic for us to even be close to something like that.

“If we can get into League B and do well then there is no reason why we can’t get through into that (Gold Cup) one day and that would be some story.”

Indeed it would be a tale to regale in the coffee shops of East Lancashire if Donachie and Rathbone were to pull it off.