Airdrie coach jobfor Proctor
East Kilbride player/ coach David Proctor has left the Lowland League side to take up a coaching role at his former club Airdrieonians.
Last Tuesday night EK announced Billy Stark had resigned as manager after less than a year in the job and Proctor has followed him out the door at K-Park.
Proctor is taking up a role as an assistant to Stephen Findlay at the Diamonds, where he spent time as a player in 2007 and the 2014/15 season.
The 33-year-old, who played a handful of games for Kilby this season, signed up at K-Park in April 2016 after overcoming a serious back injury sustained while at Airdrieonians. He spent 18 months out of action.
Signed by Martin Lauchlan, the former Inverness Caley Thistle defender returned to fitness to help Kilby lift the Lowland League title the following season.
He also played a starring role as EK enjoyed cup wins in the South Challenge Cup and Lowland League Cup.
With Billy Stark’s arrival in the summer, Proctor was appointed to his coaching team along with Craig Young, although he still pulled on his boots at times during the club’s unsuccessful title defence this season.
Proctor said: “I have fond memories of my time here [at Airdrie] as a player, although my second spell didn’t end how I wanted as I picked up a serious injury.
“That’s when I started looking at the possibility of a coaching role.
“I did manage to get back playing with East Kilbride, but it was great to get into coaching there as well.
“To be honest it’s a wrench to leave my home town team, and I probably wouldn’t have gone anywhere else - but I have massive respect for Stevie and Marc [Fitzpatrick] having worked with them in my last spell at the club. The opportunity to link up with them again was too good to turn down.
“With the new owners taking over, it’s a fresh start for everyone at Airdrie, and it’s an exciting time to be involved with the club again.” East Kilbride midfielder Sean Winter insists there was“a lot of truth”in the criticism Adam Strachan levelled at the squad last month.
Strachan slammed the team when Billy Stark refused to offer him a new deal, insisting a lack of quality and fitness cost Kilby the league title.
The former Partick Thistle winger also claimed EK assistant boss Craig Young was‘out of his depth.’
Winter has dismissed Strachan’s criticism of Young, but was in agreement over some of his comments.
Kilby’s players’player of the year said:“I have no problem with Adam and everyone knows the kind of person he is.
“He has a personality where he says exactly what he thinks.
“If you don’t know him he probably comes across as quite arrogant or cheeky, but the players know how he is.
“Adam has been harsh but honest and there was a lot of truth in what he said.
“I don’t agree with what he said in terms of the coaching, but there is a reason we didn’t win the league.
“Many of the things he said are true, but it perhaps wasn’t the right way to go about saying them.
“There’s been a lot of jokes and banter about fitness in the dressing room this season and Adam himself would probably admit he’s not been as fit as he would have liked.
“But on his day he is head and shoulders above at this level and that’s what he should remember as he goes looking for his next adventure.”