Mark Campbell insists it’s the right time to step away from the game after calling time on a remarkable 27-year stint at Blackburn United.
First signed as a player during the 1995-96 campaign and appointed manager a decade later, the former striker has been the face of the club for nearly three decades.
The stats are remarkable: 353 games as a player and 561 as a manager.
He leaves with the club having secured a fifth straight season in the sixth tier of Scottish senior football, a level he admits he could never have imagined for the club when he first joined.
Speaking to the Courier, Campbell reflected on his time with Blackburn United: “It’s been some shift, eh? I’ve loved it, it’s been wonderful to be with such a great club for so long but it’s the right time to step away.
“Saturdays are going to be a wee bit different now, I guess. I’m going to become a grandad in September, which I’m really looking forward to, and I think life will probably be a bit more relaxed and less stressful now.
“I can do what I want, when I want a bit more now and go travelling with my wife and concentrate on my work a bit more.
“You’d often get burned out because you’d be working then spending hours either at training or, especially in pre-season, on the phone talking to players and trying to get stuff sorted behind the scenes.
“It was hard work at times, but I wouldn’t have changed anything. It’s been brilliant and to see the progress the club has made is a huge testament to everyone involved.”
He added: “It’s been a memorable time of my life. There’s been plenty of highs and lows but it’s been wonderful.
“I think about the guys like Alan Brown, Craig Spence, Andy Cooper. Those days were special and that era didn’t get the success of these guys now but they were a huge step along the way.
“We’ve been winning games in the Scottish Cup and we’re in the sixth tier of senior football. It’s staggering that the club is in this position when I look back at when I started.”
Campbell’s long-term assistant Jamie McCormick is set to take over for next season and the departing boss admits he’s pleased they were able to retain their East of Scotland Premier Division status at the weekend and believes they’re in a good position for further success.
He said: “The hard work was done in the last few weeks and it’s absolute credit to the boys. They deserve it.
“What a few weeks it has been. We knew we’d stay up if we didn’t concede many goals against Crossgates and I think that came into our play. We defended really well and made sure we did what was needed.”
He added: “If you’d told me six weeks ago that we’d need 41 points to stay up, I’d have thought we were down. The form and play during that time has been sensational.
“Hopefully the club can kick on next season and keep building on this success and move forward.
“It’s a club in good hands with Jamie and the people behind the scenes.”
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