New boss Macca looks to deliver silver lining for Nock
CUMNOCK may be out of the running for Junior football’s silverware prizes but Tony McInally believes his side can still strike gold if they can cling onto their Premiership status this season.
The fallen Ayrshire giants confirmed the former Pollok and Shotts Bon Accord manager as their new man at the helm last midweek and his reign got away to a perfect start with a 3-2 victory over Rossvale last weekend.
Macca has not allowed old rivalries to affect his judgement by persuading two former Arthurlie managers Mark “Branco” Cameron and Billy “Bilko” Ogilvie to join him at Townhead Park.
Ahead of his home debut against Clydebank this Saturday, he insisted: “Everything was a rush last week and I literally had only 10 minutes with the players before meeting up with them at New Tinto
Park before facing Rossvale. Lauchlan Miller had made a marvellous fist of preparing the guys for the game and that allowed me to focus on getting my backroom team in place. Branco is someone whose opinion I have always valued whatever team I’ve managed while Bilko is a top drawer coach who gets the best out of players.
“I desperately needed to get people around me I could trust, and I’m absolutely delighted to have those two at my side.”
The 51-year-old also told Times
Sport of a face-to-face meeting he had with Paul Burns, the man he succeeded in the Nock dugout.
“Paul had taken a week away following my appointment which was perfectly understandable in my book” Macca added.
“He’s been Cumnock’s best player for a number of years now , their team captain and manager so he has appreciated the opportunity to clear his head and better still he is committed to staying at Cumnock in a playing capacity which is a boost to our dressing room.”