George Manson says the time was right to take a step back after standing down as Turriff United chairman.
The 74-year-old, who was recently elected president of the Highland League, has held the position for 15 years at the Haughs but has now stepped down.
Manson’s vice-chairman Gairn Ritchie has been named as the new chairman.
Manson said: “I’m Highland League president for the next three years.
“I’ve been chairman now for 15 years and I feel I’ve done it long enough.
“It’s time for some young blood to take it on. Gairn has been my vice-chairman for the last few years.
“He does a good job and he’s fit for the job of chairman so it was time to give him his chance.
“He’s much younger than me and will have more energy than me.
“The Highland League job is probably not so much a hands on role as being a club chairman.
“However, I feel in this role you have to step back from the club a wee bit.
“The opinions you have should be for the league as a whole and not clouded by what’s best for Turriff United.
“I would still be leaning towards what’s best for Turriff United, I wouldn’t be human if I divorced myself completely.
“But I do feel I need to step back a wee bit. Gairn will be our LMC representative, which is something I’ve done for the last 12 years.”
Plenty of highlights from Manson’s time at the helm
Manson will remain on Turriff’s committee and looks back with fondness on his stint as chairman.
During that period he led the club into the Highland League from the Junior ranks.
Since joining in 2009 United have gone on to win the Aberdeenshire Shield on three occasions, finish second in the Highland League and enjoy some memorable cup runs.
Manson added: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Turriff as chairman.
“We’ve had lots of ups and downs. We won the Aberdeenshire Shield three times, which is very good because it’s sponsored by Morrison Motors, who support the club as well.
“That gives it an extra edge. We haven’t won anything else, but maybe that will come.
“We’ve got a good new manager in place, I’ve every confidence in him and I think we’re on the right lines.
“We just need to improve on the pitch, the manager has his ideas about that and I’m confident he’ll produce the goods.
“In the Scottish Cup we’ve had some good days, we played Greenock Morton in the fourth round in 2012.
“In the Challenge Cup we played Hibs live on the TV when Neil Lennon was manager.
“We beat St Johnstone colts and Montrose to get there which was a good period.
“Another highlight was finishing second in the Highland League. In the end Brora were able to pull clear, but up until a few weeks to go we were still challenging.
“Joining the Highland League was a big step for Turriff.
“Three teams were admitted and the 15 clubs that were already members voted and we received 15 votes.
“That made me very happy to get that backing and it was a very exciting time coming into the league.
“We played Brora in our first game and won 4-0 and you think ‘this is easy’ but it hasn’t always been like that since.”
