Greg Shields insists Josh Edwards should take inspiration from Scotland captain Andy Robertson following his move south of the border.
Shields trod the exact path Edwards has this summer with his move from Dunfermline to Charlton Athletic.
It may have been 25 years ago, but Shields knows what Edwards is facing leaving behind East End Park for football and life in London.
The former Pars skipper is thrilled to see another Dunfermline full-back follow in his footsteps by joining the Addicks.
But he reckons Edwards has another role model in Scotland skipper Robertson, who has not looked back since leaving Scottish football for England.
“It’s a really interesting move for Josh,” Shields told Courier Sport. “I think he’ll settle in fine and it’s a great club for him to go to.
“I’m really interested to see how he does and how his career moves on now.
“You can say it’s similar to the likes of Andy Robertson.
“That was him going from Celtic to Queen’s Park to Dundee United and then down to Hull and then Liverpool.
‘You never know where it could lead to’
“Maybe it’s too far ahead of him to think that way. But if I was Josh that’s something I would certainly be thinking about and having aspirations about.
“It’s now in his court. He can go down there and establish himself, and you never know where it could lead to.
“He’s left-footed, he’s quick, athletic. Who would have thought Andy Robertson would kick on so quickly after his move from Dundee United or go on to become Scotland captain?
“You never know. I know what it’s like down there with the clubs and the money they have to spend.”
After two years with Dunfermline, Shields left for Charlton in August 1999 as a 23-year-old in a £600,000 deal.
A replacement for future England internationalist Danny Milles, he went on to win the old First Division and promotion to the Premier League in his first season at The Valley.
Injuries stunted his development and, after a loan at Walsall, he returned north to play for Kilmarnock before signing for Dunfermline for a second time and staying for five and a half years.
He looks back fondly on his time at Charlton but admits Edwards may need some time to settle in at the League One side.
“When I moved down to Charlton, I was completely taken aback by the enormity of London as a city,” admits Shields, who was Pars assistant-manager when Edwards signed from Airdrie in 2019 and left his role in the academy in January.
“It was a bit surreal. I thought I was going down to Charlton, a fairly small club in terms of the teams in London.
Shields: ‘It was a bit of a shock’
“But when you get down there you quickly understand just how big London is. It was a bit of a shock.
“But it’s a great club, with a real good fanbase, with good people and a really good culture there.
“They were on the up at the time, even though they had just been relegated from the Premier League, and we won the league and promotion back up again.
“So, it’s slightly different to what Josh is going into. The base is still there, but they’re down a couple of leagues.
“But it is a great club and it’ll be a great move for him.
“He’ll be well liked, the fans are very forgiving and very good with Scottish players down there.
“He was always one who had the qualities to kick on. He’s now showing that.
“He will improve and he hopefully he’s one of those Scottish players who can go down to England and do really well.”
