New Golspie Sutherland manager Mark McKernie hopes his varied coaching experience can lead to success in the North Caledonian League next season.
The former Brora Rangers under-20 coach – and Loch Ness player this term – has packed away the boots and replaced 2021 title-winning manager Sam Mackay, who stepped down last week.
Defending champions Golspie, who have played all their games, are third in the league and will slip to fourth should Halkirk United take two or more points from their final two outings.
NORTH CALEDONIAN LEAGUE (SPONSORED BY @MacandMac28) – 9.4.22
Orkney v St.Duthus (12.45)
Loch Ness v Halkirk United
Thurso v Inverness AthAll 2 p.m kick-offs unless stated #NCFA #NorthCaley pic.twitter.com/QLT6J2ug5x
— North Caledonian FA (@NorthCaleyFA) April 2, 2022
However, Golspie under Mackay were in contention deep into the campaign as they, like several clubs, just failed to match champions Invergordon’s consistency.
Experience building up for McKernie
Ex-Strathspey defender/midfielder McKernie, 32, who has also managed Maryburgh, jumped at the chance when Golspie asked him to take the helm as he brings former Thurso player Nigel Mackenzie in as his assistant.
He said: “I looked to get into coaching around seven years ago when I did my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and I had a wee stint managing at Maryburgh before that, which I enjoyed.
“I kept chipping away with my badges. I was offered the Brora under-20s job when I was at Strathspey, which was the next step for me.
“From that, (then Brora manager) Steven Mackay asked me to give the first-team a hand. I really enjoyed that. It makes it easier when you are working with higher quality players.
“(Academy manager) Gordon Duff at Ross County then invited me to give a hand to the 16s and 18s, which I have done for the last year or so.
“I used to play for Golspie and always kept in touch with (treasurer) Stuart Sutherland and a few people at the club.
“When I was asked to take the job on, it didn’t take much thought. It’s what I needed to stay involved and to move from coaching into management.
“I have tried to learn from anyone I can such as Carl Tremarco and Ross County and Steven Mackay when we were at Brora.”
Strong foundations laid at Golspie
McKernie was keen to stress the club are well placed to compete on all fronts next term.
He added: “I don’t think there’s too much wrong at Golspie. They’re all a good bunch of honest, hard-working boys, so I’m looking forward to it.
“There are a lot of strong teams in the league and you can’t take anything for granted, but we’ll try to build something as positive as we can and see where it takes us.
“All going well, we should be up there with the bigger boys.”
Updated league table. @InvergordonFC are champions for 2021/22 #NCFA pic.twitter.com/IHCwlpI5sN
— North Caledonian FA (@NorthCaleyFA) April 2, 2022
And the new manager insists he is fully focusing on the football side of things as the club, like many in the NCL, try to get their facilities and requirements in place to be in a position to compete in the pyramid play-offs should they win the title in the coming years.
Time for a break for ex-boss Mackay
Departing boss Mackay, meanwhile, is looking forward to a well-earned break from football, having gone straight into management from his time as a player at Highland League side Wick Academy.
Mackay, who replaced Andrew Banks in the hot-seat, guided Golspie to the title last term, as the leagues were split in two due to Covid travel restrictions.
He explained the full-on nature of management as the reason he’s called him on the job.
He said: “I informed the club after our 2-0 win against Halkirk on March 23 that I intended to step down.
“I felt the end of the season was the right time for me to leave. Being the manager is a really busy job. A lot goes on behind the scenes.
“It was my intention to do just one season when we won the league, but everything just fell into place for me to go for another season. I originally came in just to help out.
“I am going to take time out now. It has been non-stop since I left Wick and came into Golspie. I’m looking forward to a break.
“When I left Wick, it was so I could spend more time at home with the family, but I took on a lot more than I had at Wick. It will be strange at the weekend with no football, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Congratulations to Invergordon
Mackay felt his men competed well, but leaked points against lower-placed opponents.
He paid credit to league winners Invergordon, who they pipped to the crown last year and who were denied the chance the year before when the campaign was declared null and void due to Covid, with them leading the way.
He added: “Although we didn’t win it this season, we still had a decent season.
“We beat a lot of the top teams in the league, but dropped points in games where we maybe should have won. It was disappointing not to challenge.
“The league was really competitive. Congratulations to Invergordon, who got over the line on Saturday after losing to Halkirk the week before.
“They will be delighted to get it after they maybe felt hard done by in the last couple of years.”