GARY NAYSMITH will celebrate what he believes is his greatest achievement when his East Fife side are presented with the Ladbrokes League 2 trophy following their game against East Stirlingshire tomorrow.

Yet, the triumph, the first of what the former Hearts, Everton and Scotland left-back hopes will be a long and successful managerial career, remains insignificant in comparison to another matter that has coloured his life over the course of the season.

As the champagne is uncorked and the jubilant New Bayview fans congratulate the players, Naysmith won’t allow his thoughts to stray far from his father, Andrew, who is suffering from motor neurone disease.

That was certainly the case on the afternoon the Methil club drew 0-0 with Clyde at Broadwood earlier this month to secure the solitary point they required to clinch the third tier title.

After the referee had blown the final whistle that day, Naysmith returned to the changing room and put on a T-shirt with the words “This one is for you dad” written across the front before taking to the pitch to join the festivities.

“This has been a difficult season for me,” he said. “There has been a lot in my personal life to deal with. My father has been in a bad place.

“My mum passed away from cancer about 10 years ago, aged 51, and my dad remarried. He is housebound now, but his wife said he had a tear in his eye when he was told we had won the title. That was really pleasing for me.”

Naysmith has encountered many challenges since taking his first steps into coaching at part-time East Fife two-and-a-half years ago. He has endured relegation, a failed promotion bid and a financial crisis which required many of his players to accept pay cuts. All this, though, has been put firmly into perspective by his father’s debilitating condition.

“I had only heard of two people who suffered from motor neurone disease before my dad was diagnosed with it,” he said. “Stephen Hawking, who has lived with it for many years, and Fernando Ricksen, the former Rangers player.

“There had been no trace of it in my family and I didn’t know anybody who had it. It has been a completely new illness for me and my family to try to comprehend. There is no recovery, no cure and no set timescale. It affects everybody in different ways.

“Some people have difficulty breathing, some people have trouble sleeping, some people suffer from muscle wastage. It has progressively got worse. My dad’s wife is effectively his full-time carer now. He is a proud man. He doesn’t want an outsider helping him. He would rather it came from myself or my sister.”

Naysmith, who returned to Scotland after more than a decade in England with Everton, Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town when he signed for Aberdeen four years ago, feels fortunate, however, that he has been around to assist his father during this time.

“I suppose I have got lucky in some respects,” he said. “If this had happened five years ago, I’d have been down in England and unable to help. I am also lucky that I am a part-time manager with East Fife. That has meant that I can see him most days.”

The frustrations of management are, as Naysmith can now testify, many and varied. His father’s illness has placed them into context, though, and he stressed that in several of his team talks as his charges closed in on the League Two crown

“When the Leeds United players were involved in that big court case many years ago, Jonathan Woodgate couldn’t play, but Lee Bowyer played on no problem,” he said. “I think playing was a distraction for him and helped him. I have been like that. I have had football to take my mind off things.

“I have mentioned it to the boys a couple of times. I opened up to them about it a wee bit about what I was going through when we were top of the league and pushing for the title. I said: ‘This isn’t pressure. This isn’t something you need to worry about. This is an enjoyment.’

“I used some of my personal experiences. The players have been great about it. I have had a few nice texts. For me, football is everything. If I lose you really don’t want to be near me for a couple of days. This has shown me football really is only a game.

“But it’s not about me. I’m not looking for any pity. Unfortunately, my father has been diagnosed with an illness for which there is no cure. It is about making my dad as comfortable as possible in the time he’s got left.”

The 37-year-old, who has combined playing with managing once again this season, is currently in talks with East Fife about a new contract. He is excited at the prospect of moving into League 1 next season and believes a second straight promotion is an achievable goal.

Eventually, however, he would like to move on and manage full-time. He appreciates just how harsh an environment the professional game can be for a coach. Friends and former team mates have certainly discovered that. But he is undeterred.

“The next stage for me is obviously to go full-time,” he said. “It has been great to make a lot of people at East Fife happy, especially the fans, this season. I am just passing through. The supporters are there for life. I enjoy it here.

“But if we get beat I don’t see the players again until the Tuesday. I must admit that’s hard. I got to a decent level as a player and I want to do the same as a manager.”

If he can, and anybody who has had the good fortune to see him play over the years wouldn’t bet against him doing so, he will make his father very proud.