Callum Duff Named First Team Strathglass Boss | |
18 December 2012 Callum Duff has been confirmed as the Strathglass first team manager following a club EGM on Tuesday 18 December 2012. Duff takes over from Robert Geddes who will continue to have a role both on and off the park for the Cannich men next season. Strathglass were Callum Duff’s first club and he played for them after leaving school. He also finished his shinty career at the club before a period with Beauly. He has also a been Camanachd Association referee and is currently the Camanachd Association Youth Director. However his full attention will now turn to reviving the fortunes of a club which has finished bottom of Marine Harvest North Division 1 for the last two seasons. Duff will be assisted by former Beauly player and Highland League footballer Innes Simpson. Simpson joined Strathglass from Beauly towards the end of last season but he was plagued by injury and hardly featured in the side. However he is fit and ready to play his part on the park as well as being assistant manager. Strathglass is a club close to his heart too as his father Alan Simpson won the Strathdearn Cup with the Cannich club in the 1960s. The management team will also include Robert Geddes who will play a mentoring role and be on-hand behind the scenes to provide advice when required. Malcolm MacSween, who is originally from Balmacara, will lead the training and the club is currently on the look-out for a physio to join the backroom team. However the focus will be on Duff in his new role and he is positive ahead of the start of the shinty season. “We have had a fantastic response from the players and the community as a whole since our appointment,” said Duff. “This is the club which gave me my start in shinty and I said last season that this felt like I was coming home. I feel that it is an honour to be asked to do the manager’s job and we will do everything we can off the park to make the club a success and we’ll be looking for the players to do their bit on the park. There is a lot to be optimistic about at Strathglass and Donald Fraser is working with some very talented players at youth level. We have an idea of where we can get to next season and we can’t wait for the new season to start.” The Cannich side has already put plans in place ahead of the new shinty season. “Our pre-season programme is coming together nicely, said Duff.” We’ll travel to Oban on Saturday 9 February 2012 to play Oban Celtic and we'll stay down there overnight. We then have our annual meeting with Glenurquhart for the MacDonald Cup at Blairbeg the week after. Our final pre-season game will be against Ballachulish at Cannich for the Murdo MacKenzie Cup on Saturday 23 February 2012.” Unlike many clubs, Strathglass were in the fortunate position of being able to hold interviews before appointing a manager and they will hope that Callum Duff will prove to be their Special One. |