Whitehill seek new boss as Aitchison calls it a day

WHITEHILL WELFARE boss Gary Aitchison resigned before his side's 2-0 victory against second-placed Lothian Thistle in the Central Taxis Premier Division at Rosewell last night – a result which saw them move into third position with five games remaining.

"It was an emotional night because I actually tendered my resignation on Tuesday and had to tell the players when they turned up for the game," said Aitchison. "It was a big decision in what has been an up-and-down season for the club. A couple of results in important games did not go our way but we could still finish as runners-up in the Premier Division.

"I feel that it is time to move on although I have said to the Whitehill officials that I am prepared to stay until the end of the season if they want me to. I have been here three seasons with their Under-19 team and two seasons with the East of Scotland League side and I think I have done what I can for the club. I have to thank them for giving me the opportunity to manage at both levels and, although I'm going to miss it, I think that it's time to move on."

Whitehill Welfare are one of the best known non-league clubs in Scotland with a proud history in the Scottish Cup and there will be no shortage of managers who could be interested in the post including former player and Haddington manager, George Bowmaker, while Sean Steven, previously boss at Edinburgh City, could also be attracted.

In last night's 2-0 win against Lothian, Ross Allum scored two cracking first-half goals and departing manager Aitchison said: "In our last two games, we have played superbly."