Stenhousemuir: Bryson considered hanging up boots before move

The midfielder, 35, was last at St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership and he has also played for Aberdeen and, latterly, Derby County south of the border.

However, a niggling injury put him close to quitting for good and he saw the part-time switch as the perfect opportunity, much to the surprise of many fans when the deal was annouced.

Speaking to Warriors TV, he explained his move, saying: “I spoke to the manager, Stephen Swift, and I already knew the assistant, Frazer Wright, from back in the day at Kilmarnock.

“I had a well-documented ankle injury and, to be honest, I was humming and hawing about playing on and that, but they did really convince me to come here, and I am delighted to see how it goes this season.

“It’s been really good so far. We started a couple of weeks ago and I am still getting used to the lads and the gaffer, but it has been really good to start with.”

The former Scotland cap hopes to help bring on the club’s younger stars while at Ochilview.

“I think this is my 20th season now in professional football,” he said. “I’ve been around for a fair bit and I have played so many games.

“When I was coming through, I had experienced players around me at Clyde and Kilmarnock, and hopefully the younger ones in there do that with me at Stenny. Hopefully I can pass on my experience to them.”