Stewart never thought he’d get to 50 not out
Montrose manager Stewart Petri eh it a landmark off the pitch this week when he turned 50.
And the former Forfar, Dunfermline and Ross County midfielder was delighted to enter his sixth decade without ever having been sacked.
Petrie, who had been an assistant at Arbroath and Forfar as well as having a coaching stint in Australia, joined the Links Park club in December, 2016, and has transformed an underperforming side into one that reached the promotion play-offs.
The following year the Gable Endies won League 2 and last season they reached the playoffs for a place in the Championship. In this campaign they sit in the top half again and, whilst Petrie is delighted to have never been shown the door by the Angus club, his rising stock as a manager can no longer be hidden.
Petrie said: “When I was a player, I always thought that I would go into coaching or management and I am very privileged to be at Montrose.
“There are a lot of good managers out there who are not working.”
“I am at a club where I have a fantastic relationship with the chairman, John Crawford, and the board.
“I also have the support of a very good coaching staff and a group of players who have grown throughout my time in charge.
“I did, however, think that I would have been sacked by someone by the time I was 50.”
Petrie combines football with a career in financial services with the Bank of Scotland.
However, he could have his arm twisted to have a crack at the perilous world of full-time management if the right offer came along.
“I am ambitious and I want to work with as big a club as possible,” said Petrie
“It is not something I go on about, and I take the approach that if something comes up that is right for me then it will come up.”
“If it was too good to turn down, I would go for it. But I still have work to do at Montrose. I want to take them as far as I can.
“I want to make sure they become an established League 1 side and not one that could yo-yo with League 2.”
“If that is achieved then I would like to push them on towards the Championship. If we got there, I would like to steady the ship in that league.”
Petrie added: “Full-time jobs come and go and sometimes I get linked with them and sometimes I don’t.
“It is nice when it happens, but as long as the chairman at Montrose is happy with me, I must be doing something right.”
“If he starts linking me with jobs then maybe the sack is coming.”