Highland League football club Lossiemouth unveil former Ross County, Aberdeen, Elgin City and Buckie Thistle coach Frank McGettrick as their new manager
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A final chance to become a Highland League manager at the age of 62 was one that Frank McGettrick couldn't turn down.
Lossiemouth have appointed the former Aberdeen, Ross County, Elgin City and Buckie Thistle coach as their new boss.
McGettrick will work alongside current first team coaches Ian Campbell, Scott Campbell and Tony Ross, who are staying with the Grant Park outfit.
Previously a manager at New Elgin juniors during his playing - which included two stints as a striker with Rothes - he revealed how the lure of taking over at the Coasters became too much of a temptation.
"I’m looking forward to it," he said. "I’m 63 this year and you sometimes feel like you are never going to get the chance to manage at this level.
"Younger coaches are coming through all the time and there's guys in their 30s at other clubs."
McGettrick had been part of Buckie Thistle manager Graeme Stewart's first team coaching team for the past four years.
Before that he had helped Lossie out for a brief spell as coach while then-manager Joe Russell was working overseas.
Russell quit as Coasters boss last season, and Ian Campbell agreed to take over until the end of the campaign by which time the Moray club had approached Buckie to speak to their first team coach McGettrick about taking on the job.
"When the chance came about, when Spider (Graeme Stewart) told me that Lossie had contacted him I was quite happy to chat to them.
"To be honest I wanted to take the chance. I don’t think I will get jobs like this at my age. I was happy to take the challenge on.
"I have worked with Ian (Campbell) and Scott (Campbell) before and I know Tony (Ross) from football circles. I know some of the players from my time as head of youth at Elgin City so I am looking forward to the challenge.
"I will give it my best shot. I know it will be tough, Lossie will have one of the lowest budgets in the league but you just have work with that and work with the players you have or look for other players within your means.
"We will try and do the best we can and look to push up the table a wee bit. That obviously means putting more points on the board and we will all have to work hard at it, the players and the coaches."
McGettrick played most of his football at new Elgin but served rothes in two spells, firstly under manager Danny Fitzsimmons in the early 80s and later in a spell under Neil Clayton and Alex Caldwell.
He played for Robbie Nicol and Alex Simpson at New Elgin, was player manager there for a spell and finished his playing career at Burghead Thistle at the age of 42 when Simpson was manager of the coast club and took him there.
SFA coach Neil Mackintosh took him to Ross County next for a community football role, and he took his coaching badges and before becoming a youth coach in Dingwall.
Aberdeen's Gothenburg Great, Neil Simpson then persuaded McGettrick to take up a coaching position with the Pittodrie club for two seasons.
He then moved to Elgin City as head of youth development, working with some of the players who he will now manage at Lossiemouth.
His interim stint as Lossie coach four years ago was followed by the offer of a first team coaching job at Buckie Thistle.
"I loved my time at Buckie, it was excellent. I really enjoyed it and I would like to thank all the directors there, Spider and his management team and the players, and all the Buckie supporters and staff at the club," he said.
"They were a pleasure to work with and be with, and I wish them all the best for next season. If the chance with Lossie didn’t come along I would have been happy staying at Buckie.
"But now I have this new challenge with Lossie and I'm looking forward to getting started."
