New Keith manager Craig Ewen says leaving Forres Mechanics was hard but he is relishing the Kynoch Park challenge
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CRAIG Ewen can't wait to get stuck into his first management role in Highland League football.
The Banff-based 38-year-old left his role as Forres Mechanics assistant to replace Andy Roddie and Tommy Wilson at the Kynoch Park helm on a three-year deal.
Read more: Keith appoint Craig Ewen as new boss.
Ewen plans to assess his current squad, bring in backroom staff and bring in local players if they are good enough to enhance the Maroons pool.
He will take charge of training tonight and boss Keith for the first time at Huntly on Saturday.
“It wasn’t an easy decision for me to leave Forres, but just the chance to go and be my own man, and try to be successful as a manager in the Highland League was too good an opportunity to refuse,” he said.
Ewen's previous management jobs were in junior football at Deveronside and Buchanhaven Hearts, before Charlie Rowley appointed him as his number two at Forres in April 2016.
“I’m indebted to Charlie for giving me a chance at that level,” Ewen added.
Keith have made a poor start to the Highland League season, with the 10-0 defeat at Buckie leading to the exit of the last management team.
But with director of football Michael Brown in interim charge, the Maroons gained a 0-0 draw against Inverurie Locos on Saturday.
That result gives the new boss encouragement that progress can be made up the league table.
“It’s a big challenge but I’m very excited to try and get going and take Keith up the league,” he said.
“They have a young squad and some inexperienced players but to get a good result like that on the back of the Buckie one shows that there’s character in the dressing room.”
One of Ewen's targets is to bring more fans through the turnstiles at Kynoch Park, and knows the only way to do that is by improving results.
"They haven’t had a great start but we need to try and bring a bit of stability to the club, play some good football and try to get some supporters back in the ground and see if we can garner a bit of support locally.
"If you start winning some games and climb up the table, you will get some more support from the local community and beyond. That’s the plan.
"There’s obviously a nucleus of players who are good enough to play for Keith and they can get results so we maybe need to instil a bit more belief in the camp after a tricky start and give them a bit of confidence.
"Hopefully things will click into gear and we can start picking up points and move away from the bottom end of the table."
If he needs to recruit more players to strengthen Keith's hand this season, he will call on his contacts across the area to see what business can be done.
"I’m very much hoping to get players from across the region.
"At Forres there were guys from north of Inverness so I’ve got experience of working with players who are north-based and Moray-based.
"But it’s all about getting the right quality of player to play for Keith, regardless of where they are from and get them to buy into the fact that they want to do well for Keith.
"If we can find good local talent that increases the quality of the team, then great. If we still have to dip into the Aberdeen environment then that’s fine as well.
"I need to go in and assess the squad and get a proper look at them and see where I feel there’s areas where we need to strengthen and improve to try and get the building blocks in and gain success that way."
Ewen's own playing career in north junior football - Deveronside and Whitehills mainly - ground to a halt when he ruptured his cruciate ligament at the age of 27.
He began coached with 'Side, and when the manager's position became available, he teamed up in the role with Rob Scott, son of the late Alan Scott who bossed in Highland League football to great success.
The duo steered the Banff club to the Superleague, and when Scott stepped aside, Ewen managed them on his own for three seasons and regular high positions in the top tier.
He then switched to Buchanhaven Hearts, who he took into title contention in Division 1 when the departure of Russell McFee as Forres Mechanics' assistant created an opening for him.
"I did have that ambition of getting into the Highland League and Charlie gave me the opportunity to come in at Forres. Since then I’ve done that five and a bit years at Forres and it’s been great.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, it’s a great club with great people at the club and a great group of players to work with.
" I’ve worked my way up from the bottom, I guess, and got to this position now.
"So I’ve just got to try and go out and grasp the nettle and try to kick them on, bring a bit of stability to Keith and take things forward."
