Kilwinning Rangers have vowed to take time to get the right man to replace David Gormley as manager – with one hotly-tipped name already ruled out of the running.
Gormley paid the ultimate price for a poor run of results when he was sacked on Friday after less than nine months in the hotseat.
The axe fell just 48 hours after a bruising 5-2 defeat at Cumnock left Buffs in the WoSFL Premier drop zone. Kilwinning’s committee said a change was needed to secure the club’s top-flight future.
Ayrshire Football News understands the club have already received around a dozen applications for the role.
But speculation that former Stenhousemuir manager and ex-Buffs player Stephen Swift is a contender has been dismissed by the club.
They say they are in no rush to announce a successor with a temporary ‘leadership group’ of existing players and staff set to take the team again this weekend for Buffs’ South Challenge Cup tie against Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale.
Club spokesman Ben Grant said: “We’ve had a healthy number of applications so far with some good candidates in there.
“The club will take the time to pick the right manager but we would hopefully have someone in place for our next league game at home to Beith (February 11).
“There’s not a specific target right now. Stephen Swift is a name that has been banded about online but there’s nothing in that.
“The cup game this weekend buys us a wee bit of time. The league is obviously the priority for us right now. We need to stay in the Premier League.
“Chris Millar will join the leadership group of Dylan Mackin, Thomas Collins, Kevin Nicoll and Davie Wilson this week as the team prepare for the cup game.”
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