No more Vicky Pattison DVDs for Linlithgow's Sean Muhsin

Sean Muhsin, right, had become something of a fringe player for Edinburgh City

The 28-year-old midfielder revealed that he was in his living-room with fiancé Charlotte working out to Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison’s fitness DVD when he got the call from Rose boss Todd Lumsden to appear in a friendly for the Prestonfield club.

Slightly flustered and out of breath having struggled to maintain his fitness with fleeting appearances for City, Muhsin gleefully took up the offer. And, despite having earlier gone on a three-mile run before his aforementioned fitness workout, Muhsin performed well enough to earn himself a deal until the end of the season.

“I was getting limited minutes at Edinburgh City. I was really enjoying it but, to stay fit enough to be competitive when my chances came, I was having to train on my own two or three times a week,” said Muhsin.

“I’ve just had a baby daughter. She’s four months old, so I was kind of struggling and I was going to these yoga classes with all these mums. I was doing spin classes to try and stay fit enough for [Gary] Jardine’s team but, when Sheila next to you is battering the bike a lot faster than you are, it’s just disheartening. Then I was getting met with two minutes on a Saturday as a reward so I chapped his door and he was alright about it.

“Gary made me available and that’s how I got the call from Linlithgow. Todd phoned me and said he was keen to get me on board. I thought ‘that’s great’ because I know Linlithgow are a good club, but I don’t think he had seen me play, so I thought he was signing me on the basis of my CV, I was hoping.

“That was the plan I was hoping for. Then, two days later, I took my daughter and my fiancé to the Butterfly Centre in Lasswade. I was meant to be playing just a friendly for my mate’s team at night just to get my fitness up because I hadn’t done anything for weeks, but I sacked that idea and decided to go out on the p*** instead. In the morning, I went for a three-mile run and then I did Vicky from Geordie Shore’s fitness DVD with my fiancé Charlotte. That was my first exercise in three weeks so I was absolutely burst. Then Todd phoned me in the afternoon and asked me to play in a friendly – I just panicked. I should have made up an excuse because I was knackered but I was just like “Aw yeah, I’m keen.” I hung up and then I was just gutted thinking he was going to see me shattered, but my trial went okay thankfully!

“I played in the Juniors about five or six years ago for St Andrews and Carnoustie and I just remember playing against Linlithgow and thinking ‘These guys are amazing’, so it was an easy decision for me as they are a good club. If not, I would’ve gone back to Heriot-Watt or spent my time doing B-list celebrity DVDs!”

Muhsin, a Scottish Futsal internationalist who recently returned from the UEFA Futsal Euro 2018 qualifiers in Georgia, will come up against his former club when Rose host Carnoustie tomorrow at Prestonfield. At this stage of the season, Rose are usually priming themselves for a surge towards the top of the table but given, they currently sit 13th, their priorities lie elsewhere, namely in the cup competitions.

Despite the club’s much-noted three-year period without silverware and a turbulent past few seasons with Lumsden being Rose’s fourth boss in just three years, Muhsin wasn’t put off by the switch to a club firmly in transition. His focus is on bringing the good times back to Prestonfield.

He added: “When I first came in and spoke to Todd and Hissy [Steven Hislop, assistant manager] they made me well aware of the fact that Linlithgow hadn’t been successful recently and the whole purpose was to get them back there. It’s a nice incentive and I like to have a goal season by season. This season is to get the club back firing on the cup front and then next season to get back on the league front. It excited me the fact they were looking to build.”