New boss targets big improvements
New Newmains chairman Stuart MacKenzie has promised to restore the links between club and community.
MacKenzie was installed after Bill Carrigan quit because of his wife’s ill health.
Links between the McBookie.com Central District Second Division side and the locals have become fractured in recent seasons.
But MacKenzie – who will head a newly formed committee – insists it’s time to put that right.
New co- bosses Craig Gupwell and Paul Davies have already started to build bridges.
MacKenzie said: “We all hope to reach out to the local community and to give them a team they will be proud of.
“Results on the pitch will obviously dictate a lot of things.
“But we also want to involve the local people, forge links and try to create as many benefits for as many as we can.
“If we can all work together like that the club can attain its goals both on and off the park.”
Airdrie-born MacKenzie, 61, has held various roles in local sport over the past 25 years.
He was acting chairman of the Stax Trade Centres Strathclyde Saturday Morning Amateur Football League last season and chairman of amateur side Carluke FC, who merged with Newmains earlier this year.
A Motherwell resident for almost 30 years, MacKenzie has also been involved with Blackburn Rovers Boys Club, Wishaw Wycombe, Fir Park Corner and the Motherwell Community Trust.
He added: “It was an honour to be asked to take this role at Newmains and it’s one I’m not about to take for granted.
“I see it as a pleasure to work with a forward-thinking management team who I’m sure will get it right on the park.
“Of equal importance is the creation of a strong committee of complementary skills who will hopefully provide the platform for success.”