A FORMER professional footballer from Sidcup is preparing to launch a new career as a personal trainer.

Rob Quinn, 31, began his career in the youth team at Crystal Palace and was a member of the 1996 play-off winning squad which lost in the final to Leicester.

He won six Republic of Ireland under-21 caps and made two appearances for the Irish B side in a career which has taken him from Selhurst Park all the way to Welling United's Park View Road.

Quinn agreed to join the Wings last month and revealed the personal training business he is preparing to start was a key factor in his decision to sign on the dotted line with Andy Ford's side.

He explained: "I'm 31 now and have a four month old boy, so I do not want to be travelling two-and-a-half hours every Tuesday and Thursday to go training.

"The decision to play part-time football with Welling suits me perfectly because I am about to launch the personal training business and ideally want to be based in this area.

"I've always kept an eye on Welling's results because they are my local team."

Quinn added: "I worked under Andy Ford and Jimmy Dack at Stevenage and they are both winners.

"Welling had a disappointing start to last season, but Andy came in and kept them up and we both agreed we are not here just to struggle again next season.

"There is a lot of money being spent in this division and although Welling do not have the biggest budget out there, I see no reason why we can't make the play-offs.

"Hampton made it into the play-offs last year and Welling are a much bigger club."

Quinn will certainly bring a wealth of experience with him to Park View Road, even if it is a long way in the football pyramid from his Palace days.

The midfielder has nothing but fond memories from his time at Selhurst Park, but decided to quit in 1998 following the arrival of Terry Venables to link up with former Eagles chairman Ron Noades at Brentford.

He recalls: "There were a few of us who went there from Palace, including coach Ray Lewington.

"I enjoyed my time at Brentford and we went on a 27-game unbeaten run in my first year there and it helped us win the title."

"After three-and-a-half years at the club I moved on to Oxford United with Andy Scott because my contract was running out.

"I spent less than a year there before going to Bristol Rovers, but I wanted to come back closer to home and it was a key reason why I left to join Stevenage Borough."

The decision to step out of the league into the non-league game is not one most professional footballers take likely, but this wasn't the case for Quinn.

He explained: "I spent two years struggling against relegation with Bristol Rovers and to me there isn't much difference between the top sides in the Conference and those in League Two.

"We got to the play-off final in my first season at Stevenage and only missed out because we lost to Carlisle.

"Look where Carlisle are now. They've just missed out on promotion to the Championship."

A successful one-year spell at Gravesend & Northfleet was followed by a season helping AFC Wimbledon to promotion to the Blue Square South, a division he will now be bidding to get Welling out of.

Wings boss Ford has no doubt Quinn will be instrumental to his side's promotion chances next season and is looking forward to working with him again.

He said: "Rob Quinn is someone I know very well from my time at Stevenage when he was a member of the side which reached the play-off final against Carlisle.

"He went to Gravesend and played 40 games there before playing a similar amount at AFC Wimbledon last year.

"You do not play as many games as this without being a good player and Rob will bring experience down the middle.

"As well as central midfield, he can also play at centre half and I'm looking for versatile players because of the size of our squad."