Conor Gethins hopes to awaken a sleeping giant in the Breedon Highland League after being appointed Clachnacuddin manager.
The prolific Irish striker has ended his second spell as a player with Nairn County to take charge of the Lilywhites, signing a contract until the summer of 2026.
In their storied history, the Grant Street Park outfit have won the Highland League 18 times.
The last of those triumphs was in 2004, and this term they sit second bottom with four points, having not won in 11 league fixtures.
Gethins, 39, said: “Historically Clach is one of the biggest, if not the biggest club, in the Highland League.
The club are delighted to announce Conor Gethins as our new first team manager. pic.twitter.com/EnG1YBDXV1
— Inverness Clachnacuddin FC (@clachfc) October 22, 2023
“It’s the only Highland League club in the city of Inverness, and there’s so much scope there.
“The youth development programme at the club is massive and you only need to look at the players who have come through the club to see it works.
“For me it’s a sleeping giant and I want to try to awaken the giant – there’s no guarantee we’ll do that, but we’ll give it our best shot.
“If we ruffle feathers along the way, then we ruffle feathers, but we want to get the club back to its rightful place at the top end of the league.”
Duncanson also arrives
Joining Gethins as assistant manager is Robbie Duncanson, who he played with in his first spell at Nairn.
Meanwhile, Blair Lawrie and Martin Callum – who have been in interim charge since Jordan MacDonald’s dismissal on October 1 – will remain as part of the management team.
Gethins added: “When Robbie and I played together at our best, it was telepathic really.
“He knows what I’m thinking and I know what he’s thinking. We’ve both got similar views and goals.
“Robbie started his career at Clach, he’s a Clach boy, which is good.
“Blair and Martin are staying on in the coaching team, which I’m delighted with.
“They’re Clach legends, they’ve taken charge of the last three games and you can see their passion for the club. They want the best for the club and the players.
“They’ve got a reaction in the last three games and it was important they stayed on.
“Blair and Martin have been at this level for 15 or 20 years and that experience is so valuable and will be a huge asset.”
Gethins’ reflections on Wee County tenure
In two spells with Nairn, Gethins netted 209 goals, with only Davy Johnston netting more for the Wee County.
He has also played for the likes of Ross County, Finn Harps, Peterhead and Formartine United – and has intentions to keep playing for remainder of this season.
Gethins said: “I’m probably going to play on just now. With the injuries in the squad and me still scoring goals this season, I feel I can help the team out.
“Reflecting on my time at Nairn, it was my favourite time in football.
We can confirm that Conor Gethins has left the club to become the new manager of Clachnacuddin.
We all wish Conor the very best in his new venture and thank him for his fantastic contribution to Nairn County. Details:https://t.co/8VZja4Id33#ncfc #nairncounty #ItsaNairnThing pic.twitter.com/hvuMi6rGTB
— Nairn County FC (@NairnCounty) October 22, 2023
“The fans were amazing, and all the managers and coaches I worked with were excellent.
“I’d like to thank all the players I played with in both spells, because they helped me so much.
“I got to 200 goals, which was my aim. I was Highland League player of the year two years in a row and made it into Nairn’s team of the century.
“Nobody can take those things away from me and I leave with memories that will last a lifetime.”
‘Committed and determined individual’
Meanwhile, Clach chairman Alex Chisholm is confident they have appointed the right person to take the club forward.
He said: “Throughout the process we had really good quality candidates and I’d like to thank them all for their efforts.
“Conor came through as a very committed and determined individual, he’s looking to take his first step into management and we felt he was a good fit for us.
“We feel the club has a special appeal and Conor agrees – and that came through in the discussions we’ve had with him.
“He’s taken in a former player in Robbie who knows the club really well and Blair and Martin staying gives us about 30 years of Clach experience in the management team.
“Our job as a board is to support Conor and his team as best we can.
“Where we are at the moment in the league isn’t where we want to be. We think we can move up.
“Conor has put across his ideas for how he wants to do that and there’s an opportunity for the club to reset and move forward.”
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