For Ronnie Sharp the call to return to the Breedon Highland League came out of the blue, but he was delighted to accept it.
The ex-Nairn County boss has joined Strathspey Thistle as co-manager alongside Bobby Beckwith.
Sharp’s second spell in charge of Nairn ended in September 2022, but having had a break from football he’s relishing being part of the new set-up at Seafield Park next season.
Explaining how his move to Grantown has come about, he said: “It wasn’t really planned.
“But I got a call when I was on holiday to ask if I’d be interested just after Bobby had been named as manager.
“So when I came back I went to meet Bobby, Josh Horton (sporting director) and Fraser Tulloch (director of football).
“What they’re trying to do interests me, it reminds me a bit of when I took over at Nairn in 2016 where we’re virtually starting from scratch and we’ve got a project ahead of us.
“Speaking to the three of them and it sounds like a perfect opportunity for me.
“Having the break from football has really helped me, I probably needed it.
“I was a bit tired out as much as anything and my enthusiasm had gone a wee bit so I needed to step away from it.
“But my enthusiasm is back and I’m really looking forward to being involved with Strathspey.”
Sharing the burden
Although he has been named as co-manager, Sharp revealed his main interest is more in coaching than management and it will be Beckwith who has the final say on team selection.
He added: “Myself and Bobby will share the workload, but Bobby will have the final say and will pick the team.
“I’ll have my input but Bobby will have the final say and that suits me.
“I’m not particularly interested in the management side of it, but I like coaching and trying to help improve things.
“I’m coming in to try to help the players and hopefully we can help Strathspey improve on recent years.
“You don’t want to be fighting relegation all the time and the club seems to have some good plans for the future.
“It’s an interesting project and I’m delighted to get involved.”
Meanwhile, Strathspey have further bolstered their squad with the addition of two goalkeepers.
Kit Fletcher, 24, has joined from North Caledonian League outfit Fort William, while 17-year-old Ethan Rae signs permanently after impressing during a spell on loan from Ross County in the second half of the season.
They are Strathspey’s 10th and 11th signings of the summer.
