Departing Billy Stark set for Motherwell job

BILLY Stark last night stepped down as Scotland Under-21 coach, and was immediately installed as the 6-4 favourite to become the new manager of Motherwell following Stuart McCall’s departure on Sunday.

BILLY Stark last night stepped down as Scotland Under-21 coach, and was immediately installed as the 6-4 favourite to become the new manager of Motherwell following Stuart McCall’s departure on Sunday.

The former St Mirren, Aberdeen and Celtic midfielder joined the SFA in January 2008 from Queen’s Park to oversee the development of the Scotland national youth teams, but felt it was “time to move on”. Ricky Sbragia will take charge of the under-21 squad for the 18 November friendly against Switzerland in Thun. Stark, who now heads

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bookmakers’ lists to be the next Motherwell boss, said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working at the Scottish FA, but feel now is the right time to move on. There is no greater honour in football than representing your country, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to do so as a coach.

“I’ve enjoyed some real highs over the years, especially winning our qualifying group and reaching the play-offs in 2010. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some excellent players during my time here and it’s great to see so many of them go on to make an impact with the full squad.”

Stark led Scotland U21s to three top-two finishes in European Under-21 Championship qualifying, including a play-off place in 2010. The former Morton and St Johnstone boss also took temporary charge of the Scotland A squad in 2012, guiding the team to a 2-1 victory in Luxembourg.

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