Stuart Searle knows more than most what it is like to be a part of manager Emma Hayes's coaching staff - and he delved into it on the latest episode of our We Are Chelsea podcast.

On the latest episode, Searle talks with host Caz De Moraes about his time at the club, having been here for the best part of two decades in a number of roles.

Since joining Hayes's staff as a goalkeeping coach more than 11 years ago, Searle has witnessed and played a part in the growth of the women's game. He shared how he came to join the Blues in a very different era to the one we know now.

'I knew Carly Telford before I came down here through a glove sponsor,’ explained Searle. ‘We happened to bump into each other at an event and I said to Carly about Emma offering me the job – and she was like “Come because it means I can get a proper goalkeeping coach for the first time!” So I built a relationship with Carly that has been there forever since then.

'I got back to Emma and said I would happily do it. I wasn’t going to games then, it really was just part-time football and a couple of afternoons because Carly was on a central contract with England, so she could train during the day because the FA was funding that and it fit in with my other jobs.’

Having worked with Hayes for the majority of her 12-year tenure, which will come to an end in our final Women's Super League game of the season on Saturday, Searle shared what it has been like to work with the Blues manager.

'She is a leader,' said Searle. 'She is not just a manager, but a leader - and you jump on board with that journey. You jump on her boat and she will travel across the world with you.

'It is a lot about trust and there is a lot of trust put into individuals, both staff and players. People understand their roles and they know how to play their roles over the course of the season.'

During his time at Chelsea, Searle has worked with and developed some of the best goalkeepers in the world. But, how does reflect on his journey as a coach?

'I don't need people to talk well about me,' added Searle. 'I need people to talk well about my goalkeepers and that reflects well on me.'

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