IF you think Morgan Payne is busy on a soccer field, think again.
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The Melrose midfielder is also part internet entrepreneur, part property developer.
Payne runs three websites — two dedicated to racing, the other to sport in general.
He said it happened by simply marrying his interests, but the demand of the real time world means a business that never stops.
Soccer is a moment away from the madness.
“Playing and training is a release from the demands of work,” he said.
“There are only two days of the year where there is no racing and on those days there are always sport updates.
“With the online stuff you really can go 24-7, there is not a lot of downtime, so for those 90 minutes on a Sunday and twice a week I get to switch off, run around and enjoy myself.”
Payne has returned to the starting 11 for Melrose in its past two thumping wins — a 9-2 thrashing of Hotspurs, followed up by a 5-0 victory against St Pats.
Coach Josh Fluss makes comparisons with another of their smaller midfielders in Peter Donaldson, but Payne disagrees.
“I’m taller than him, just,” he said.
“But really I just go out there and try to do my job each week — I’m no star, there are plenty better than me at the club.
“My role is to follow the ball, be there to link with attack and defence, and if Josh is happy then that’s good.
“We played really well in the win against Hotspurs but I think by everyone’s admission we were below par last week.
“But the sign of a good side is they can play poorly and still get a result — and most teams would take a 5-0 win every weekend.”
Payne said the demands of his business had taken him away from the Border at the start of the winter.
“But I’m back at the moment and that allows me to train and play,” he said.
“It was a case of just stumbling into the business — I started taking an interest in racing and was already into websites and really just learned as it all evolved.
“We take content from three writers and I now have people working for me in Slovakia, the US and Greece.
“It is pretty unbelievable.”