BELARUS is never an easy place to go to. Or return from. On his most recent trip home, Peter Leven left his apartment in the city of Brest at 5.30am and didn’t turn the key in the family front door in Newcastle until 7.30pm following a journey that took in Warsaw and London as well.

This is the sacrifice the 35-year-old has chosen to make as he plots an alternative path into management. Having worked under first Lee Clark and then Lee McCulloch as assistant manager at Kilmarnock, the one-time Rangers youth prospect could have hung around and simply waited for the next Scottish coaching vacancy to open up.

Aware, however, of the number of his fellow ex-professionals all looking for that opening too, Leven chose to take up an offer with Dynamo Brest in Belarus. On the first anniversary of that life-changing move, he admits there has been hardship but no regrets.

He still misses his wife and daughter, while trying to acclimatise to an alien culture and language still proves trying on a daily basis. On a professional level, however, it has proved worthwhile. Initially employed as head of the academy and B team, he was promoted quickly to first-team assistant manager with an emphasis on overseeing tactics and training.

He won his first trophy as a coach last weekend when Brest beat powerhouse BATE Borisov in the Belarus Super Cup, a season-opening boost ahead of the start of the league campaign this month. He also had the “surreal” pleasure of working with, and receiving a kiss from, Diego Maradona.

Leven has tried to entice others over to join him but has found no takers, the Scottish wanderlust gene seemingly absent from most modern-day footballers.

“I’ve always been of the mind to go and try something,” he says. “And if you don’t like it, then you can always come back. I would advise anyone to take up an opportunity like this if it ever arises for them.

“But people in Scotland don’t seem to want to give up their home comforts. And they’re scared of the unknown. I admit I was scared a bit as well before coming out here. I wondered if I had done the right thing at the start when I was sitting in my apartment by myself, missing my daughter and wife.

“But you grow into a routine where you fly home and back whenever you can. And all the time you’re gaining new experiences and advancing your career. And hopefully that stands you in good stead in the long run.

“They always said to me to come over and be the B team manager, get used to the place, the language and the culture and then step up. But I didn’t think it would only take four months. Obviously I miss my family but they understand this is the sacrifice I’ve chosen to make and hopefully it pays dividends in the end.”

Leven admits Belarus can be a befuddling place for a boy from Renfrew. A club translator is on hand whenever he needs him but there is a determination to try to attempt things the hard way.

“I’m gradually getting more accustomed to life here but it’s still quite difficult,” he admits. “At the start I would get frustrated but then you realise that’s just their way. The language is hard to understand, I’m not going to lie. But I’m trying.

“A translator is always there but I try not to have them with me all of the time because I like to put myself under a bit of pressure. I want to have to think a bit more in certain circumstances and see if I can deal with it.

“Is there a Westernised feel to Belarus? Not really. It’s hard to explain. Some things are modern but there are still aspects that look like they’ve not changed since the 1940s.”

At the club, however, there is a concentrated effort to move into the future. An extensive pre-season programme has included camps in Dubai, Turkey and Spain, while there are ambitions to also break BATE’s domestic stranglehold.

The club doors are regularly thrown open to esteemed guests with a view to learning from their experiences. Gordon Strachan has been a visitor several times, as have Juande Ramos and Emile Heskey. Clayton Blackmore, the former Manchester United player, has taken Leven’s old job at the academy.

“The owner of the club wants to create a more European culture around the club,” Leven says. “He’s always looking to improve things and we’ve had an impact in that – like suggesting taking the train to long away games rather than the coach, and inviting opposition managers in for a drink after games.

“BATE have now won the league for the last 13 years. If Brest could break that monopoly and get the Champions League money they would be right up there. The fanbase, the structure - everything else is in place to succeed.”

Maradona’s appointment as chairman last May also raised eyebrows and made headlines all around the world.

“The whole town was a bit in shock,” recalls Leven. “They paraded him around the city in a open-top Hummer which was mental. But it was great publicity for the club and the league at that time.

“Is he crazy? Yes! I met him once and he kissed me. That’s how he greets people. It was a bit surreal. He didn’t hang around for long as he went to Mexico to do some coaching but I think he’s due back as he has a house in Brest. So maybe we’ll see him again.”

Leven isn’t making too many long-term plans of his own. But were his Belarussian adventure to end for whatever reason, it would already have proved worthwhile.

“I’ve got another year-and-a-half on my contract so I’ll keep plodding away and working hard,” he adds. “Football can change in a second so you can be doing well one day and out of a job the next. But it’s definitely been worthwhile so far. I’ve experienced a new culture, a different kind of football, learned some language skills and now also won a trophy. I’m still only 35 so it’s been a good start.”

ends