Banks o’ Dee co-manager Paul Lawson admits a return to the dugout took him by surprise.
Lawson and Josh Winton have been appointed as joint-bosses of the Breedon Highland League side for the rest of the season after Jamie Watt and Roy McBain were dismissed earlier this month.
Lawson managed Formartine United between September 2017 and March of last year, but returned to playing when signing for Dee last summer.
Having been asked to take the team with Winton in recent weeks, the former Celtic, Ross County and Motherwell midfielder is happy to continue for the remainder of the campaign.
He said: “It’s not something I could have anticipated, but things happen in football and things change very quickly.
“I was sorry to see Jamie and Roy go and I’d like to thank them for taking me to the club.
“A month ago I would have said a return to management was a long way off for me and something I hadn’t even thought about.
“Then when Jamie and Roy moved on I was asked to support Josh in interim period and I was happy to do that.
“I know what it’s like to be involved at this level and I was happy to offer my support and the club have asked us to continue that and I’m happy to do so.
“I was going to take stock of my own position at the end of the season due to personal circumstances and nothing’s really changed from that point of view.”
Combination can work
Lawson believes he and Winton can work well together with the pair guiding Banks o’ Dee to wins over Turriff United and Wick Academy since taking charge on an interim basis.
He added: “Josh is young – similar to myself when I became manager at Formartine.
“But he’s keen to get into this side of the game and has been on the coaching staff for a wee while.
“The boys know him very well and so far I think it’s been an easy enough transition for him.
“From my point of view, I know what it takes and you do need a support network around you and I said I was there for him if that’s what he needed.
“It’s only been a short period of time, but we get on well and think along the same lines.
“There’s hasn’t been too much change for the boys, which I think is important.”
Continuity key
Banks o’ Dee president Brian Winton believes their new management team will offer stability for the rest of the season.
He said: “We had a diverse portfolio of applicants, but I think this is the right fit at the right time.
“Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been doing a lot of restructuring at the club and their ability to plan, identify targets and look to the future in a short space of time has been pleasing for me.
“Paul’s got a lot of experience in the Highland League and Josh has been around the club for a long time.
“Continuity is a big thing for us and I think that’s an advantage for us.
“We’ve got Paul Bain in place as director of football as well and he’s helping them because there’s a lot to do on a weekly basis.
“The three of them will work to build things up for next season.”
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