Nairn County confirm manager Steven Mackay to step down from role after final Highland League match of the 2023/24 season against Huntly
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Nairn County have confirmed that manager Steven Mackay will leave the club upon the conclusion of the Highland League season.
The 42-year-old was appointed manager at Station Park in October 2022, replacing former boss Ronnie Sharp, on a contract until the summer of 2025.
However, the Wee County have confirmed that Mackay will step down from his role after this Saturday’s campaign closer against Huntly.
Formerly manager at Brora Rangers, assistant at Elgin City and player at all three of those clubs as well as Ross County, Mackay has taken Nairn from the bottom end of the Highland League table into the top half.
He also led the club to their first piece of silverware earlier this season, beating Ross County in the final of the North of Scotland Cup having also seen off Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the semi finals.
Mackay also made history on the pitch, becoming the first player to score for Nairn in four different decades – the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
In the announcement on social media, Mackay said: "It has been a great honour for me to manage the club over the last 18 months.
"Winning the North of Scotland Cup this season was a real highlight and it was great to put smiles on the faces of so many people behind the scenes at the club and the supporters.
"It is a great club and I am sure with the squad and the board that is in place, it will continue to make progress over the coming seasons.
"I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Chairman, Mark Kelman, the management committee, my assistant David Hind, first team coach Brian Macleod, director of football Graeme Macleod plus all of the players who have worked under me and the fans for the excellent support I have received during my time as manager of the club.
"I wish Nairn County the very best of luck for the future."
Club chairman Mark Kelman added: "After discussions with the management committee, we came to the mutual agreement that Steven would stand down from his position at the end of the season.
"I would like to thank Steven for all of the excellent work he has done while manager of the club. There is no doubt that we have taken significant strides forward during his tenure and we hope to be able to see the legacy of his hard work across future seasons.
"Bringing silverware back to Station Park with our North of Scotland Cup success in November was a significant milestone and Steven deserves enormous credit for achieving that in such a short timeframe from when he took on the job.
"We all appreciate the significant amount of time and effort Steven dedicated to the job during his time with us and we would like to wish him all the best for his future endeavours.
"The process of identifying the new manager of Nairn County has already commenced."
