Stephen Aitken’s success at Stranraer noticed

Stranraer manager Stephen Aitken has been tipped for the top by Falkirks director of football Alex Smith

Smith, who doubles up as the Chairman for the League Managers Association, shook Aitken’s hand before telling everyone in the corridor of the Main Stand at Stair Park to “Watch out for this guy – he is going places. He is going to be a top manager.”

Aitken was delighted with the endorsement in the wake of his side’s 1-0 quarter-final success and he said: “I was a bit taken aback but when somebody of Alex’s stature says something good about you it is obviously very pleasing. He is someone that is really respected and I must be doing something right for him to say that.

“He put my through my Uefa A Licence a few years ago and maybe he has kept an eye on me ever since.”

The 37-year-old is approaching his second anniversary in charge of Stranraer and his work in the south-west of the country has been noticed by Smith and others.

Aitken’s name is now linked to other jobs on a regular basis and Smith may well be right in his assessment that the manager will go places.

There is no rush however as Aitken explained: “I am happy and Stranraer have been great with me. They could have recruited other people when they decided to end Keith Knox’s time but they took a chance with me.

“I was the assistant manager and they could easily have opted to wipe the slate clean totally. Hopefully they still feel that they got that decision correct.”

When Aitken took over Stranraer, who had been promoted as part of the re-organisation after Rangers were placed in the fourth tier, were at the foot of the table, however, he managed to keep them up.

He went on to do even better in his first full season in charge as he explained: “We were tipped to go down and you could understand why as we had the smallest budget and the smallest squad.

“We came third in a league with two full-time sides and gave other full-timers a hard time in cup competitions.”

That success is all the more remarkable when you consider that visiting Stair Park once a fortnight is the only time that the town and their team connect, however there is a sense of collective pride.

Aitken said: “Three quarters of the squad come from the central belt with a couple of the boys from Ayrshire and we get together twice a week in Paisley. We now have training in the one place and that has given us feeling of consistency and stability.

“I wanted that, as even if you are part-time, if you are professional in everything that you do players will join you.

“We have brought in other things such as pre-match meals and providing suits for the players and they have all been massive in helping to sell playing for Stranraer.”

As well as his professional approach Aitken is not beyond asking for help to allow his career to blossom and he said: “I have known Derek McInnes since our days at Morton together and I can pick the phone up to him and discuss things which is a great help.

“However my former Stranraer manager Neil Watt has been my greatest supporter.

“It was Neil and his assistant Stuart Millar that saw something in me years ago and encouraged me to go into coaching. Young managers need mentoring and he has given me that.”

No full-time offers have yet been forthcoming, however if one does materialise Aitken would be tempted as he explained: “I inspect engines from planes at Rolls Royce and it is a good job. What I have learned from there helps me in football as the management style is all about encouraging team-work.

“I would give it up for that one chance. I don’t think that chance will come at a Premier League club as that is a big jump from Stranraer and I would need to take an intermediate step. I know that I have to prove myself at a Championship level and it is something that I would like to try.”

If an offer comes along it would mean a parting of the ways with his brother Chris who has been a pretty permanent fixture in his life.

The younger sibling is a regular in the Stranraer midfield and a work colleague during the day with manager Aitken saying: “Chris works in another part of Rolls Royce albeit we can keep tabs on each other. We are close and he has been great with me at Stranraer but he is keen for me to do well and we may need to eventually part ways.

“He has family commitments and needs the security of a job outside of football and if the chance ever came I could not ask him to give that up.”