I might have to watch my back in five or ten years time, there could be a clutch of newly-qualified sports reporters eyeing up my job!

And one of those new hacks could well be current County star and last season's Player-of-the-Year Gareth Owen.

Owen, aged 25, is currently in the middle of a fast-track two-year BSc Honours course in Sports Journalism and Broadcasting - based at Staffordshire University - and he's thoroughly enjoying it.

The big centre-back popped into the Express offices last week to take a look around, and he told me a little bit more about the course, and his plans for the future, once his playing days are over.

Owen said: "I've always been interested in the media side of sport, so when the PFA [Professional Footballers' Association] offered a list of courses they were helping fund, I jumped at the chance to get on this one.

"There was a physio and a sports science course available as well, but the journalism course was taking place on my doorstep near Stoke, so I thought 'why not?'"

There are other star names from the world of sport joining Owen on the journalism course, including Notts County striker Jason Lee, Chesterfield goalkeeper Barry Roche, and cricketers Will Smith and Steve Snell.

All ten of the students have sensibly given thought to what they might turn their attentions to once time is called on their current careers, which can come round quite quickly.

Owen added: "The course I'm on is a brilliant one, I love it. The practical stuff, like writing articles and reading articles out on the radio, is particularly interesting.

"The law side of things is hard. You have to learn what you can and can't say, but apart from that it's all really good.

"Hopefully it's going to be another string to my bow.

"I'm interested in football coaching also, and I'll be looking into that at a later stage, but you get a degree at the end of this journalism course and if any jobs did come up in the future, then maybe I'll give it a go."

Owen's priorities do lie firmly with County at present, however, and he is hopeful that his knee injury will have cleared up in time for him to return to the first-team squad for this Saturday's game against Peterborough.

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