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Wilson knocks back pro offer to stick with Wick Academy


By Will Clark

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Barry Wilson
Barry Wilson

TURNING down the opportunity to manage a professional football club was the hardest decision Barry Wilson said he has ever had to make.

But he had no regrets ruling himself out of the running for the vacancy at Queen of the South, believing staying at Harmsworth Park is the best decision for him in the short term.

A former player for the Doonhammers between 2008 and 2010, Wilson was odds on favourite for the job, with one bookmaker suspending all bets on him taking over at Palmerston.

But on Wednesday evening, he informed both clubs about his decision to stay with Academy, despite admitting he was tempted of the prospect of taking over at last season’s second division champions.

Wilson did not apply for the job, but was approached by the Queen of the South board after receiving permission from Academy chairman Colin Stewart to hold talks in Glasgow.

He made his decision for personal reasons but would not rule out a move to professional management in the future.

"I decided to pull myself out of the running for a number of reasons – I felt that it wasn’t the right time for me," he said.

"I was invited for an interview and I was very keen to hear what they had to say, as it was an opportunity to be at a first division full-time professional club.

"The fact that Queens invited me down for an interview without me even applying for the job was extremely flattering.

"But with my commitments at Wick Academy, my family and also the geography that would be involved, it made it really tough for me to accept and in the end I couldn’t say yes. I thought long and hard about it, it was the toughest decision I have ever had to make.

"It took a lot for me to say No, but it would have taken even more to say Yes."

Wilson took over the manager’s role at Academy in November last year from Davie Kirkwood who left to become manager at Brora Rangers.

Since arriving in Caithness, he has made a huge impression, guiding the Scorries to third in the Highland League, its highest ever league position.

After making his decision, he informed all his players and is now looking forward to the new season, starting with the first warm up game in Orkney tomorrow.

"Things have been handled properly by both clubs and I’m now looking forward to next season," he said.

"I can’t wait for the first game in the Highland League and hopefully this will give the players and fans a bit of a boost."

Academy Colin Stewart said the club was thrilled with Wilson’s decision to stay but said they would never stand in his way should a big club come calling again.

"Queen of the South approached us in the correct manner to ask permission to hold talks with Barry to which we agreed and everything was done professionally," he said.

"We are thrilled that he has decided to commit his short-term future to Wick Academy, but we told him from the start that we would not hold him back from joining a bigger club should the opportunity arise.

"He has made a big impression on the players and fans since joining last year and we look forward to him achieving even bigger success next season."


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