Joe Russell quits as manager of Highland League side Lossiemouth saying "it was time to go" as he spoke about his five years with the Grant Park club
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Lossiemouth are on the hunt for their new manager following Joe Russell's surprise departure from the Grant Park hot seat.
Russell tendered his resignation to club chairman Alan McIntosh last night, bringing his four year managerial reign to an end.
It is understood that his assistants Ian Campbell and Scott Campbell will stay at Lossie and take the team for Friday's scheduled match at Forres Mechanics.
Russell revealed how it was a hard decision for him to make to walk away from the club.
"I broke the news last night (Sunday) and this morning we kind of confirmed it. We hung about to confirm and reaffirm things.
"Ian and Scotty and Alan tried to talk me out of it, but it was just time.
"It’s been playing on my mind for the last couple of weeks," he said. "At the weekend I had a wee think about it and decided it was time to go.
"I contemplated waiting until the end of the season but I just think it was best from my side of it to step away.
"It is time for me to move on and let the club move on and I’m sure it will. It will not stop because I’m not there, that’s for sure.
"I need a wee break from football right now."
With limited resources, Lossiemouth have developed from a side struggling near the foot of the table to one pushing towards mid-table.
Russell said he felt the club should be higher up than their current standing of 14th but was confident they could carry on rising up the table.
"We are maybe not everybody’s cup of tea and we made mistakes along the way but we certainly didn’t do that on purpose. We tried our hardest and it got us a wee bit of progress. I wish it had been more but it wasn’t to be.
"There’s been some progress made. It’s the players that make it and they have come in and worked extremely hard.
"We have taken boys in from the juniors and they have fitted in well and they will continue to get better. There's a decent youth system and if one or two move on they will generate more funds and keep bringing boys through.
"The youth set-up from under-10s right through is going really well. There’s a pathway there for them and I’m more than confident that the club will thrive and kick on and move even further up the table.
"I personally think the squad that is there just now should be even further up the table.
"We have been unlucky on occasions, at times we’ve not been good enough but we deserve to be in that group we are in and there’s only a few points between ourselves and eighth place."
Russell believes the team is on the brink of making more forward strides but felt someone else was needed to come in and take the cluib to the next level.
"I think they are just at the tipping point of turning that one-goal defeats into one-goal wins. It maybe needs somebody to just give it that wee jolt and push it over the line.
"That was in the background of my mind when I came to that decision."
His call to resign was a tough one to make, and he admits that he will be at a loose end on Saturday afternoons.
"Absolutely I will miss the matchdays at the club and that is one of the things that caused me to take so long to make my mind up.
"It’s a huge part of your life and a lot of the players have been absolutely brilliant for me. You’ve just got to do what you think is best for them and if it’s time to go, it’s time to go.
"The players will be fine. They will dust themselves off and hopefully they can go and beat Forres on Friday night.
"I’ve had a lot of messages from people saying they are shocked I’m leaving.
"You know when your time is up and I would rather go on my terms than for things to go really sour.
"Whoever takes over, I wish them all the best and hope they can keep players there."
