Aberdeen FC Women’s manager Clint Lancaster admits to having mixed emotions as he leads his side out for his last home game in charge on Wednesday.
The Dons face Dundee United at Balmoral Stadium (7.30pm) in their penultimate SWPL game in what is Lancaster’s final week in charge.
Lancaster made the difficult decision to step down to pursue opportunities nearer his family in England earlier this month.
The Aberdeen boss said: “I have mixed emotions. It’s a tough one because I’ve really enjoyed my time here with the players and it is a shame it is coming to an end.
“But it is a lot for one full-time member of staff. My position has effectively changed during the course of my time here as I’ve effectively become an academy manager as well.
“I’ve been overseeing the running of the under-16 and under-18 girls’ teams as well as managing the first team, planning sessions and looking after recruitment.
“It has been a lot and it doesn’t help that you play 30-plus games a season. Down south women’s leagues play around 10 games fewer.
“We want lots of football but it has been long and some things happened so long ago it feels as if it was in another season. I’ll enjoy my break.
“But on the whole it has been really good and I’ve enjoyed myself here and I’ve been lucky to work with a great group of players and staff.”
‘There is definitely cause for optimism here’
Lancaster leaves after leading the club to a mid-table finish in his campaign in charge.
He believes the future is bright for the women’s team and hopes his side has learned from a challenging campaign.
He said: “There is definitely cause for optimism here. The challenge will always be to keep hold of these players and we need to make sure we can do that.
“There are some good players here despite their age and it has been a really good learning season for them.
“Some have been thrown into the first team at 16 and 17 and I have to remind myself when I’m talking to someone like Bayley Hutchison as if she is a senior pro that she is still only 20.
“They have a long future ahead of them and hopefully a successful one.”
Lancaster believes players should be proud of their season
The Dons have the challenge of trying to secure a seventh place finish in the final week of the season after dropping to eighth following their 3-2 defeat by Motherwell on Sunday.
Whatever happens in the final two games the departing Dons manager believes his players should be proud of their campaign.
He said: “I’m sure if you had asked the players at the start of the season if they would finish seventh or eighth and be safe in the league with half a dozen games to go they would have taken it.
“We had the best goalkeeper in the league at the start of the season in Faye Kirby.
“We had four wins and two defeats and were thinking we could look up but then she suffered a nasty injury and results dipped.
“When you have an elite goalkeeper it gives the team a bit of belief.
“Since Jen Currie has been here she has done really well and we’ve had some good results but it has been an up and down season.
“But the players should be really proud of what they have achieved given the adversity they have faced.”
Francesca Ogilvie and Maddie Finnie are suspended while Darcie Miller will miss the last two games due to a back injury.
Conversation