Cove Rangers chairman Keith Moorhouse is optimistic the club will be able to appoint Paul Hartley’s successor relatively quickly.
While stressing the club did not need to be rushed into making a decision on their new manager, Moorhouse feels the quality of candidate the vacancy has attracted leaves them in a good position.
Interest in the role surfaced shortly after Hartley’s departure was announced on Friday, with the two-time title winner taking the job at English League Two side Hartlepool.
Candidates with experience of both the Scottish and English Premier League, as well as winning domestic competitions, have come forward.
Cove are due to return to pre-season in just over a fortnight, with their first pre-season friendly against Dunfermline Athletic on June 25. They also have games pencilled in against Banks o’Dee, Gala Fairydean and St Johnstone.
Moorhouse insists it will not be a hurried process but feels confident Cove will be in a position to replace Hartley swiftly.
He told the club website: “I have been really pleased by the standard of the applicants. We obviously had a few names on our list but were open-minded about it and keen to see who might get in touch. Given the achievements of some of those who did, we have some real quality to choose from.
“The most important thing is getting this right, irrespective of how long it takes. That said, given the list of candidates, I am confident we are in a good position to tie it all up quickly enough to give the new manager the opportunity to plan properly for what will be a challenging campaign.
“I understand that our loyal fans will be keen to know the identity of the new manager as soon as possible and we will keep them as fully informed as we can throughout the process.”
Hartley was confirmed as Graeme Lee’s successor on Friday, after extensive discussions between Cove and Hartlepool, with his assistant Gordon Young joining him at Victoria Park.
Pools finished 17th in the fourth-tier of English football this season, having secured promotion back to the Football League in 2021.