Ross County captain Andrew Davies is on the lookout for a new club due to his wife failing to settle in the Highlands, with fellow defender Paul Quinn reinstated as Staggies captain.
Englishman Davies joined County from Bradford City last summer and was immediately handed the armband after the departure of Quinn to Premiership rivals Aberdeen.
Davies still has a year left on his contract but will be allowed to leave should he find a suitable club.
Although he could yet see out his contract, manager Jim McIntyre has opted to hand the duties to 30-year-old Quinn, who returned for a second spell with the Dingwall club in January.
McIntyre praised the way Davies has dealt with the situation and said: “Andrew came to me to say his wife hadn’t settled in the area and they were looking to move back south.
“It would need to be the right club close to where he lives in the north-east of England.
“He has been an exemplary pro, involved in all the sessions and games.
“It might not happen but we just felt given that announcement it was important we changed the captaincy. He’s not away anywhere yet – and it’s important people remember that.
“It is something he dealt with last season and sometimes when a player comes to you and says ‘my wife, my family, are not settling’ then you’ve got to try and help them, hence the reason we moved quickly to sign Jay McEveley.”
McIntyre said it was an easy decision to hand the responsibility to Quinn, adding: “There were a couple of candidates we could have looked at but Paul has been an instrumental player since he has worked with us.
“He has that leadership quality. You can’t have too many leaders and we certainly have more than two in the dressing-room. But we felt Paul, who lives in the area, knows the club very well – and most importantly is a respected figure within the group – fitted the bill perfectly.”
Holding the captaincy will be nothing new for Quinn, who was made Motherwell’s skipper at the age of 22 after the death of midfielder Phil O’Donnell in late 2007, an experience he feels quickly matured him.
Quinn said: “That came after the circumstances of Phil passing away and manager Mark McGhee chose me to take on the captain’s position, which was humbling. I didn’t realise how big it was at the time.
“It was probably the biggest learning curve of my career. I am sure that I am in a much better stead for that journey.
“But I made a lot of mistakes back then. That’s why, today, I know the role of a captain and how to handle it.”
