Aaron Connolly admits he left East Kilbride Thistle with a ‘heavy heart’, but he couldn’t turn down the chance to prove himself outside his comfort zone at Wishaw.
The 33-year-old, who has enjoyed previous stints at the Jags as a player, was snapped up by the Beltane Park side and ends a two-year stint at Thistle, where he has steadied the ship and help develop young players at the Showpark.
It is that success that saw Wishaw make their move for the former Ayr United striker and while he admits it was a wrench to leave his hometown club, he is relishing the challenge of turning Wishy’s fortunes around, as the club seeks to haul itself off the bottom of the West of Scotland Third Division table.
Connolly said: “It is something that has been rumbling on for a couple of weeks. First and foremost, I owe a massive debt of gratitude to everyone at Thistle, it is a brilliant club.
“From the outside looking in, some people probably don’t realise just how much work goes into running it and how many good people there are.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have made this decision and, as history will tell you, I often find myself back there at some point so we’ll see what happens in the future.
“I had an opportunity thrust upon me and I took some time to deliberate it, and if it would be right for me.
“I am still struggling to come to terms with it myself, but part of me wanted to try something different. There’s no getting away from it being difficult to manage at any level and it has been challenging for me.
“But the opportunity Wishaw gives me is the chance to test myself and step out of my comfort zone again. I have always been that kind of person and I don’t see that ever changing in my character.
“Let’s not kid around, the results on the pitch at Wishaw haven’t been good enough and that is the reason they are looking for a change.
“But the massive appeal for me was they seemed genuinely interested in the way I do things, the identity we had at Thistle and the development we’ve done with young players.
“I might end up with egg on my face – and that’s fine – but I go into it with the full hope that I can be successful here and get Wishaw moving in the right direction.”
Connolly’s former assistants at EK Thistle, Mark Steele and John Dalziel, are now stepping up to take the reins at the Jags.
And Connolly reckons they are they perfect men for the job, having helped him build a solid platform for Thistle in the West of Scotland Fourth Division.
He added: “I wish Thistle nothing but the best. I think they are in good hands under Mark Steele and John Dalziel. They are setup well to go and be successful there. I don’t think there is anybody better than them to that job on.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve worked so hard developing the club and bringing in players. They have both been great with me, particularly Steely, and he more than deserves his opportunity to be his own man.
“We had some good debates over our time and I’m sure he’ll be happy to make his own decisions now.
“He wasn’t somebody I knew beforehand, but now we are close friends and that will remain the case. I’m pleased for the club that they have somebody ready to step in.”
Connolly will look to strengthen his squad at the Beltane sooner rather than later.
And asked if he would be raiding his old club for players, he said: “The big thing for me is I have left Thistle in a really health state. They’ve got a good group of players, great staff and a hard-working committe.
“It is natural that players will be linked with moves but I won’t speak about other teams’ players. I need to improve the Wishaw squad and my focus is on that.”
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport onX via@LanLiveSport, like us onFacebookor find us onInstagramfor the latest sports news, pictures and video.