For Dean Donaldson the challenge presented by returning to Inverurie Locos was too good to turn down.
After leaving Turriff United Donaldson has been confirmed as the Railwaymen’s new manager, signing a contract until the summer of 2028, with assistant coaches Jamie Lennox and Greg Moir also making the move.
During his playing career Donaldson had two spells with Inverurie between the summer of 2013 and summer of 2015 and the summer of 2016 and December 2017.
In those periods he helped the Garioch club win two Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shields.
New challenge
Right now Locos are sitting in 16th in the Breedon Highland League ahead of tomorrow’s game against Banks o’ Dee at Harlaw Park, but Donaldson is optimistic he can improve their fortunes.
He said: “I think if I hadn’t played for the club I would have just stayed where I was.
“Having played for the club, knowing how much I enjoyed it and what it can actually be like was a big part of my decision.
“It’s a new challenge for me.
“At Turriff when we took the job it wasn’t going to be about challenging for trophies.
“It was about survival, developing young players and getting the team up to a standard where they could compete.
“I think we did that at Turriff, with Inverurie struggling in the last wee while it was a job I thought I could maybe do.
“There are better managers than me who have gone in and got it wrong, but it was something I wanted to have a go at.
“First of all we need to get a competitive team on the park and then try to build an identity to the club in terms of how we play.
“Then we’ll just see where we go from there, I don’t want to put any major expectations on it because right now we’re sitting third bottom in the league and a long way from where the club wants to be.”
Tough call to leave Turra
Donaldson admits leaving Turriff was a hard decision. Since taking charge in January 2021 he has taken United from struggling at the foot of the division to their current position of fifth.
He added: “The players at Turriff have become part of my family, we were so close and to leave them was very tough and a massive decision.
“But I want to try to get to as high a level as possible in my coaching and felt like a new challenge would help me develop more.
“I’d like to put on record how much love I’ve got for Turriff and thank them for what they’ve done for me.
DEANO’S COMING HOME.
Inverurie Loco Works FC can confirm that former player Dean Donaldson is our new First Team Head Coach.
Full Story ➡️ https://t.co/L9M85avwZA pic.twitter.com/6XvKEF2Ba3
— Inverurie Loco Works FC (@InverurieLocos) October 13, 2023
“There’s no hard feelings and I’ll still be close with them all from chairman and committee to the players.”
Meanwhile, Inverurie chairman Mike Macaulay feels Donaldson was the outstanding candidate for the role as Locos look build a promising young squad for the future.
Macaulay said: “Dean’s ambitious and he’s got a big belief in bringing youth through which is what we want to do.
“We’re really excited, after we received his application for the job there was only one person we wanted which was him.
“We’re not looking for instant success, we’re looking longer term, although we are hoping to move away from the bottom of the table.
“We realise this is a project and it’s not going to be immediate success, it would be great if that did happen, but that’s not the remit he’s been given.
“I would also like to thank Turriff United for their professionalism and the amicable manner in which they handled this situation.
“I also need to thank Jamie Watt for way he conducted himself during his time as interim manager in what has been a challenging period for the club.”
Familiar face returns
Meanwhile, lining up against Inverurie tomorrow will be a familiar face in Garry Wood.
The 35-year-old striker has joined Banks o’ Dee on a contract until the summer of 2025 having been released by the Railwaymen last month.
Wood, who made his debut in the midweek Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield win against Hermes, added: “I’m delighted to sign for Banks o’ Dee.
✍️ Banks O’ Dee FC are delighted to confirm the signing of experienced striker Garry Wood who joins the club on a deal until the summer of 2025. Welcome to the club Garry 🤝 pic.twitter.com/MT6sEgIZrA
— Banks o' Dee FC (@banksodee_fc) October 12, 2023
“It’s a club with good foundations and great potential. I’m keen to help them try to move up the league and win some trophies.
“I’ve still got the fire in the belly to perform at the highest level I can.
“The guys at Inverurie were my team-mates a few weeks ago, but I’ll just treat it like any other game and we’ll be looking to go there and get the three points.”
