Conor O’Keefe insists the Peterhead players will throw their weight behind interim management duo Jordon Brown and Ryan Strachan.
Brown and Strachan are in temporary charge of the team after the Blue Toon board decided to axe manager David Robertson earlier this week.
Peterhead find themselves in the mire at the foot of League One, having won just once in 12 under Robertson and conceding 32 goals.
While the Blue Toon are on the lookout for an experienced caretaker manager to see them through until the end of the season, the reins have been handed to two of the club’s more senior players.
Brown had been part of the coaching setup under Robertson’s predecessor Jim McInally, filling the void that Simon Ferry left at the end of the last campaign. This is Strachan’s first foray into coaching.
It remains to be seen how long they will be required for but the Peterhead players need to rally behind them, starting with tomorrow’s game against Alloa Athletic.
“We didn’t really expect it (Robertson leaving) but the club has made the decision, so now it’s just about giving our full commitment to Ryan and Jordon,” said O’Keefe.
“It was a bit of a surprise to see the manager leave but chairmen have to make these decisions and you’ve got to respect that.
“The two of them will take to it really well. They brought a high intensity to training and it was short, sharp, to get the boys going again.
“It’s hard to keep together when you’re not winning games but you have got to do it. You’ve got to keep your heads up after a defeat.
“We’ve still got a chance to make the play-offs.”
O’Keefe eyeing return from knee injury
Former Elgin City winger O’Keefe signed a new two-year deal with the club last week, extending his stay at Balmoor until 2025.
He has been out since November with a troublesome knee injury, which eventually required surgery, but he could make his return in the next four weeks.
It has been a frustrating spell on the sidelines but O’Keefe was keen to stick around and prove to the club he was worth a new deal.
“I owed the club my loyalty,” he said. “They stuck with me, paid for my rehab and the consultant.
“It’s a club I want to be at. After a long injury, it’s good to be back, but it probably won’t be until next season when I get my full sharpness back.
“I damaged my meniscus and had a small tear in my medial ligament, which came just from landing from a header.
“When I was doing my rehab, I felt like I was getting stronger but every time I went to run, there was a clicking sensation in my knee. I went for an MRI and that’s when they found the tear.”
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