From both sides of the border, Greg Fleming has some interesting football tales.

Goalkeeper Fleming, from Eaglesfield, had already had spells at Oldham, Grimsby and Chesterfield in England, before he linked up with Carlisle United in 2013.

He played eight times for the Blues in their 2013/14 campaign, including three of their four FA Cup games as they reached the third round.

Mark Gillespie started United’s goalless first-round tie at Boreham Wood but, with Gillespie suffering a knee injury, Fleming played a key role in the replay. Luke Garrard - now Boreham Wood’s manager - gave the Hertfordshire club the lead shortly before the half-hour mark from the penalty spot before, two minutes later, they were awarded another spot-kick. But this time, Fleming denied Garrard before Lee Miller and Mark Beck scored late goals as the Cumbrians progressed.

“The main thing I remember is the cup run,” admits Fleming, reflecting on his season at Brunton Park. “For myself, playing in those FA Cup games was brilliant. I really enjoyed it. Against Boreham Wood, we won 2-1 late on. I can remember saving the second penalty.

“They had two penalties in a couple of minutes. I was thinking ‘oh dear’. Their boy scored the first one and, when they got a second so soon afterwards, you are thinking the worst, aren’t you?

"But we got through that and then we had the hardest tie of the round, Brentford at home. They were flying at the time but we came through that and we got a good draw against Sunderland, so that’s probably the main thing I remember from that season.

"I would rather have played more games, but it was one of those things. Obviously, Jordan [Pickford] and Ben [Amos] came in and they did well.”

Fleming was released in the summer of 2014 by United but signed for Celtic Nation, although the club were in financial trouble within a matter of months of Fleming signing.

Fleming instead began the 2014/15 season with Stenhousemuir while Celtic Nation eventually folded in April 2015.

Before all that, though, Fleming had began his career at Gretna.

As big-spending Gretna won Scottish League Two, League One and the Scottish Championship in consecutive seasons to reach the top-flight, they also reached the 2006 Scottish Cup final, losing to Hearts on penalties.

Despite that loss, Rowan Alexander’s team qualified for the 2006/07 UEFA Cup. Gretna came up against Derry City but fell to a 7-3 aggregate defeat in the third qualifying round.

Fleming admits he loved his spell at Raydale Park before he was one of the 40 players laid off in 2008, with Gretna folding and Gretna 2008 being founded soon after.

“It was brilliant, I loved it there,” Fleming enthuses as he takes a brief break from coaching at a LittleTekkers Football Academy camp at Galabank last Friday.

“But it was one of those where you just didn’t know what was happening next!

“I can remember the pre-season when we had just got promoted to the Premier League, I think every day there was a new keeper in on trial. I think we had 10 keepers in the space of that pre-season, and we ended up signing none. It was a bit different.

"It was tough but Caigy [Tony Caig] was good that way. Even though he wasn’t signed, he was doing the goalkeeping coaching and kept saying ‘Look, you are doing well’. Those little talks were good because I was only young at the time. I had not really seen that before, as many goalies coming to a club.

"You kind of take it as a thing where you start to think they don’t rate you because they were getting so many goalies in.

“But to be fair to them, I ended up getting a chance and I loved it. I really enjoyed that season – yes it didn’t end the best.

“Anyone you ever speak to about Gretna says it was a great fairly tale but I think folk can say that they chucked a lot of money at it, but Rangers chucked money at it and they couldn’t do it [earn three successive promotions to get to the SPL].

"So, I think folk can’t take that away from the achievement. It was something massive, and I don’t think it will ever happen again.

"Rangers tried it and, to be fair, they didn’t manage to do it. It just shows how big an achievement it was if a club the size of Rangers couldn’t do it.”

This season, Fleming - who admits he still keeps an eye out for Annan’s results with Athletic managed by his former Celtic Nation team-mate Peter Murphy - is hoping to guide Peterhead to the Scottish League Two title, with the Blue Toon top of the league.

It’s a 500-mile round trip to Peterhead, although the 32-year-old insists: “To be fair, it’s not too bad. Sam Henderson lives in Eaglesfield, as well, and Willie Gibson is from Dumfries, so there’s three of us travelling.

"It makes it a bit easier with a bit of company in the car which is good.”