Ewan McElroy steps aside from summer league manager role at High Ormlie Hotspur
Halkirk United boss Ewan McElroy has confirmed that he is stepping aside from his summer league role in charge of High Ormlie Hotspur, saying that he feels the time is right to take more of a back seat.
McElroy led Hotspur to promotion in 2019 – the last summer season before Covid-19 intervened – and they will start their first campaign in the top flight with an away game against champions Wick Groats on Tuesday. But management duties will be in the hands of Liam Sutherland and Robert McLean as McElroy will be looking to spend more time with his young family after the demands of the winter campaign.
In the meantime, McElroy is preparing for Halkirk United's penultimate North Caledonian League fixture away to Loch Ness on Saturday. Until last weekend both sides were still in with a chance of winning the title but Invergordon got over the line with a 1-0 victory over Orkney.
A win for the Anglers would lift them up to second place on goal difference and help to make up for some of the disappointment of their 1-0 defeat to St Duthus in the North Caledonian Cup final at Brora. It was Halkirk's second cup final loss this season, following their shoot-out defeat to Thurso in the Football Times Cup in November.
Looking ahead to the Caithness AFA top-flight debut for High Ormlie, McElroy explained: "I will be taking a bit of a sidestep over the summer this year. It has taken a few years but this is the strongest squad we have assembled and I thought it was an ideal time to share out the workload.
"I have two young boys, aged one and three, and I'm very much looking forward to spending more time with the family rather than being solely responsible for summer duties and not having a break in between. We have two hugely capable gentlemen in Liam Sutherland and Robert McLean who will be taking the lead and have already done a terrific job during pre-season.
"I agreed to keep my hand in with the Highland Amateur Cup and of course I would step in if required once we are well into the season. Summer is all about enjoyment and I have no doubt everyone involved will be really looking forward to playing some football after a two-year absence."
McElroy's immediate focus is on Loch Ness. The Anglers won 2-1 when the teams met at Morrison Park last month.
"Loch Ness have had a fantastic season and will be looking to finish as strongly as possible," he said. "There is obviously a crossover with summer and winter which won't help the bulk of teams but I am sure everyone will do their best to finish the season well.
"We have had a busy season for sure and the two cup runs have meant a hectic schedule for the boys. We have a few knocks to assess and will have a better idea at the end of the week."
It came as no surprise to McElroy that Invergordon managed to secure the title.
"I thought at the start of the year Invergordon were slight favourites," he said. "The league table is the fairest reflection of the season so it's hard to argue anything different.
"It’s great for the league that so many teams were challenging for the top and it shows just how competitive things have been all season."
Results: Saturday – North Caledonian League: Invergordon 1, Orkney 0; Thurso 2, Alness United 0. North Caledonian Cup final: St Duthus 1, Halkirk United 0 (at Brora). Wednesday – North Caledonian League: Bonar Bridge 1, Thurso 4.
Fixtures: Saturday, April 9 – North Caledonian League: Orkney v St Duthus (12.45pm); Loch Ness v Halkirk United (2pm); Thurso v Inverness Athletic (2pm).
Saturday, April 16 – North Caledonian League: Alness United v Halkirk United (2pm).
Caithness AFA fixtures (all 6.30pm): Tuesday, April 12 – Division One: Wick Groats v High Ormlie Hotspur; John O’Groats v Lybster. Division Two: Top Joes v Thurso Pentland; Swifts v Keiss.
Wednesday, April 13 – Division One: Wick Thistle v Pentland United; Acks v Staxigoe United. Division Two: Castletown v Watten.
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