Kirkwood aims to rise to Brora challenge

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Dudgeon Park's new boss is excited at joining Rangers a club "with great potential"

CONTROVERSIAL manager, Davie Kirkwood, who defected to Brora Rangers from Wick Academy in a shock move, last week, says he is ‘excited’ by the challenge.
He describes the Sutherland club as one “with great potential” and is committed to turning the players into a team that will “make people sit up and take notice of”.
Kirkwood triggered a furore when left Academy suddenly last week, leaving behind questions over his contract and compensation. Instead of travelling with the team for their game against Turriff, he watched his new charges beat Lossiemouth, convincingly, in a league game.
In his first detailed comment since his departure, the St Andrews-born manager who played over a hundred games for East Fife, revealed he had been looking for alternative employment during his brief, year-long stay at Harmsworth Park.
The former Glasgow Rangers player and Ross County coach said: “I enjoyed my time at Wick and have a great regard for the club and its players. But I was looking for full-time employment closer to the Black Isle, for the benefit of my family and myself. Thus, when this job came along, it was a no-brainer. When I met the Brora board and they shared with me their vision for the future, that appealed to me as something I wanted to be part of.”
The website post stated that Kirkwood had “exercised his right to leave Wick Academy”.
Talking about his hopes and aspirations for the wee Rangers, Kirkwood declared his target was to take Brora forward and went on: “My own coaching background and experience has prepared me for this. My emphasis is always playing the game in the proper manner. I want a team that I’d be happy to pay to watch.”
The new Dudgeon park acquisition warned: “It’s not an overnight task. It’s about making gradual progress toward the point where this club vies for honours after a 20-years gap. It’s about building a setup that will last for the long- term. I’m attracted to Brora as a major new challenge, with a platform from which to drive forward.”
Rangers chairman John Young said the club was “extremely pleased” to have appointed David Kirkwood from an impressive list of applicants.
Mr Young added: “He has a fine reputation as an outstanding coach and has a commitment to the kind of attractive football we aspire to, at our club. Our attendances have risen this season on the back of new signings helped by the backing of long-standing Brora fan, Ben Mackay of CRC Evans, our main sponsor. We look to David to continue this trend with the brand of constructive play he has developed throughout his career and using the expertise which gained him a UEFA Pro-Licence.”
Sounding a note of caution, the chairman added: “We don’t expect him to a miracle worker and expectations should not be unrealistic. Our ambition is tempered with realism. Progress takes time and the board has asked David to build and strengthen the team with the goal of becoming one of the Highland League’s leading clubs, in two to three years time.”