New Bonar Bridge boss Fraser Heath is thrilled to be leading the North Caledonian League club from the sidelines.
The 30-year-old, who manages Conon Bridge in the summer after setting it up a couple of years ago, has hung up the boots after a nasty wrist injury put him out of the game for months.
However, after assisting Rob Mitchell and Scott Macgruer, who have just stepped down, he jumped at the chance to take over when the offer was put his way.
Injury led to coaching chance
Heath explained this fresh opportunity gives him the chance to stay involved at the heart of the action.
He said: “I played for the club for a couple of months before I snapped my wrist when playing in September.
“Then I took on a coaching role with Scott and Rob and that helped me to remain involved when I was off injured.
“I was off work for around six months and I felt it wasn’t worth the risk anymore.
“I will just be a manager rather than player/manager. The injury put me off playing.
“One of the main reasons I took the job is I want to still be involved in football. This is the best way to do it without having the risk of injuring myself.”
Tighter defence is prime target
And Heath is determined to lead improvement at Bonar Bridge after they finished bottom of the table with just three wins on the board last term.
He believes he has a strong core of players, who are capable – with some new faces – of adding more victories and moving up the table.
He said: “We are determined not to finish bottom next season, so the main aim is to improve upon that as well as improve the players already at the club.
2/2. Rob and Scott have been dedicated managers, supporting the team brilliantly over the last two season and working tirelessly to push them further. As they move on to different things the bonar Bridge Football Club Commitee would like to wish them the very best.
— Bonar Bridge FC (@bonar_fc) April 16, 2022
“We have to be harder to beat. We conceded too many goals last season (65), so stopping that happening is high on the agenda.
“I’m grateful to the club for giving me the chance and I’m looking forward to building upon the strong core of players already here. We have a great bunch of boys.”
Squad to be more competitive
Despite needing to shore up defensively, Heath believes the players showed enough quality to bridge the gap between defeat and positive results.
He added: “Apart from the Golspie and Inverness games (9-0 and 7-0 defeats) last season, we were pretty tight against most of our opponents.
“I don’t want to come in and change too much because Scott and Rob done a great job. It’s just about taking what they have done and improving it that wee bit.
“I want to build a more competitive squad and I have spoken to a couple of boys I had in mind to come in and strengthen the squad.”
