Tough call for Martin Skinner to leave Huntly

Martin Skinner admits it wasn’t an easy decision to leave Huntly.

He resigned as Black and Golds manager at the weekend having been in charge since August 2018.

Skinner, who is currently serving his three-month notice period, said: “It was the right time for me. There are a couple of changes happening at the club.

“So I felt in my personal circumstances it was the right time to look for a new chapter or adventure.

“We part on good terms we tried to help the club behind the scenes as much as we could and it wasn’t an easy decision to go.

“I’ve loved my time at Huntly and all the volunteers involved at the club are incredible and do so much for the club so I want to say thank you to them.

“It was just a personal decision it was nothing to do with the club or the players because they supported me brilliantly.

“I just purely felt the time was right for me to look for something different when football returns.”

Skinner and assistant manager Richard Cheyne – who remains at the club – guided Huntly to ninth last season and they were 12th before this term was cut short by coronavirus.

Skinner added: “I felt under the circumstances and the financial restraints some clubs are under I felt we did what we should have done in terms of the sides we were competing with.

“The first season was good and we recorded our highest finish in nine years.

“This season, we started poorly but then managed to improve and get some respect back and we saw an improvement in the players.”

One person who isn’t interested in the position is former Inverurie Locos manager and Aberdeen youth coach Neil Cooper.

The Railwaymen surprisingly parted company with Cooper in October with the club sitting third in the Highland League.

The 61-year-old did well at Harlaw Park leading Locos to third and fifth-placed league finishes during his two full seasons in charge, however, it is believed Cooper is not considering a return to football with Huntly.