‘TURNBULL WILL STILL BE MANAGERIAL SUCCESS’
MORPETH TOWN chairman Ken Beattie believes former manager Stephen Turnbull will go on to have a successful career in the dugout following his departure from the Northern Premier League club.
The former Hartlepool United and Blyth Spartans midfielder tendered his resignation in the aftermath of last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat against fellow strugglers Witton Albion.
That result left the Highwaymen at the bottom of the Premier Division table after they collected just three points from their opening eight games of the season.
Assistant manager Craig Lynch stepped into a caretaker role and oversaw Tuesday night’s 2-2 home draw against Lancaster City and Saturday’s FA Cup tie meeting between the two sides.
Beattie insisted Turnbull had been unlucky during his 15-month spell in charge of the club and still believes his former boss will go on to make a name for himself in management.
He told The NLP: “We were disappointed because we really, really rate Stephen.
“He has been faced with a difficult situation, lockdown and Covid hasn’t done us any good over the last 18 months.
“We have players in their early-30s that have been effected more than others - that has to be taken into consideration.
“He has been really unlucky, we have done well in games, dominated them, but got beat.
“Sometimes it’s been naivety that has cost us games.
“I feel so sorry for him because he is a fantastic lad, he’s a good manager and it’s just the culmination of a number of factors.
“I think he will go on to be an excellent manager because his standards are high, that’s what he did as a player and he will take that into being a tremendous manager in future.”
Morpeth’s search for Turnbull’s successor is already underway and several high-profile candidates from the professional game North and South of the border are understood to have made the club aware of their interest in the role.
A difficult set of fixtures are on the horizon for the Northumberland club as they prepare for visits to Buxton and Hyde United, as well as home clashes with Warrington Town and Radcliffe.
But despite that tough schedule quickly coming into view, Beattie insisted the club will take their time to ensure the right candidate is chosen to take over from Turnbull.
“We aren’t too far adrift in the league, so it’s a case of taking our time to get the right person in and we won’t be rushing into anything.
“There has been significant interest and we are flattered seeing the calibre of some of the managers that have applied for the job.
“It’s going to be a difficult task selecting the right person - but only because there are a good number of strong applicants. “I think it will be two or three weeks before we make our minds up.
“It’s too early to panic, it’s a long season and there are teams in mid-table that aren’t too far ahead of us.
“Clearly, we aren’t going to win any leagues this year but we are still ambitious and want to push on.
“Our facilities are getting better, the academy is going well, the youth team is going well and we aren’t surprised there is a big interest in the role.”