Wick Academy manager Gary Manson is disappointed to lose Danny Mackay but has challenged others to step up in his absence next season.
The 31-year-old has decided to leave the Scorries after seven years at Harmsworth Park during which time he made 175 appearances, scored six goals and won the North of Scotland Cup.
Boss Manson said: “It’s always disappointing to lose good players and Danny’s been a good player over his time with Wick.
“Not just on the pitch but he’s also a really good guy to have around the dressing room and the squad.
“It gives someone else a chance to step up, but we’ve lost a good player and a good guy around the club, so it’s a loss on two fronts.
“But someone needs to step up and grab the bull by the horns and stake their claim.
“While it’s disappointing to lose Danny, it’s an opportunity for someone else.
“We’ve also got club captain Alan Farquhar back now and we missed him quite badly last season.”
Geographical challenge
Mackay follows Andrew Hardwick and Steven Anderson in quitting Wick this summer.
Manson believes the amount of travelling involved in playing for the Caithness outfit leads to players hanging up their boots sooner than at other Breedon Highland League clubs.
He added: “Normally you associate the peak age for a footballer being 28, 29 or 30.
“But at Wick I think it’s slightly different, because, if you’ve been doing it for a long time with all the travelling involved, it takes its toll physically and mentally.
“So I’ve always said the peak for a Wick player is earlier than everywhere else.
“So when players get to 30 or 31, sometimes they’ve just had enough and that’s been the case for a few players over the last four or five years.
“That’s just part and parcel of playing for Wick – guys get to the 30 mark and think: ‘that’ll do me.’
“It’s one of those things. We lost Gary Weir at 30 or 31, Sam Mackay was the same, Michael Steven and then Andrew, Steven and Danny this summer.”
