Published: Thursday, 2nd October, 2008 11:50am

Oakley boss Allison quits

by Simon Harris

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OAKLEY UNITED boss John Allison has rocked Blairwood Park with his shock decision to quit on Monday night.

It follows Saturday"s 6-0 home East of Scotland Cup defeat against Whitburn and comes after just three months in charge.

Oakley secretary Douglas Hynd told Press Sport yesterday (Wednesday), 'Results have not been that good but it still comes as a shock because he"s had such a short time in the job.

'He"s a young guy in his first managerial job and maybe it just wasn"t working for him.

'John gave it his all and put a lot of effort in for the time he was here but it"s like football at any level, if it"s just not working for you, it just doesn"t work.'

Allison, a former Forfar, Elgin, Cowdenbeath, East Fife and Kelty Hearts player, was appointed at the start of the summer after Willie Newbigging walked away having won eight trophies in nine years.

The committee were keen on hiring the Blairhall boy because of his local roots, even though it was his first managerial job.

Assisted by Colin Burke, Allison got off to the perfect start, humbling Super League giants Hill of Beath with a 2-1 victory in the ACA Sports League Cup in his first game in charge.

But with an inexperienced squad, Oakley"s fortunes plummeted and defeats against lower league Rosyth and Crossgates followed in the same competition.

Newly-relegated from the Super League, they were struggling to adapt in the Premier League and lost three consecutive games, to Kinnoull (0-3), Arniston (0-2) and Blairgowrie (3-4) before Saturday"s cup trouncing at home to Whitburn proved the final straw.

Speaking to Press Sport yesterday, Allison explained his reasons for leaving.

'I suppose you could say enough was enough,' he said.

'I had wanted to bring some more experienced players in to give the side the right balance but the boys were just not coming on board.

'I would idenify the right players, people I knew in the game, but when it came down to it, they were asking just that wee bit too much than what Oakley were prepared to pay and that was the frustrating side of it.

'I think Willie (Newbigging) went down that road as well.

'I don"t know if I have been away from the junior game and in the senior game for too long and it was maybe just a bit much for me.

"I just felt I had been down all the avenues and I just wanted Oakley to move forward.

'Oakley has a lot to offer and I wanted the club to crack on and get the right man in who has been round about the junior scene for a while.

'I didn"t really want them to go down to the Fife league and by going now, it will give the new manager time to come in and get them going.'

Despite his experience, Allison said he was still keen to have another crack at management in the juniors.

'Definitely,' he said. 'I still think I"ve got a couple of years left in me yet as a player but this has been a learning curve for me.

'It"s the right decision for the club to progress but if I could have brought in the experienced players I was after it would have been very different.'

Hynd and his committee will now start the hunt for Allison"s successor and he said, 'Obviously, we are disappointed but we have got to move on as a club and try to get someone in to take it on.

'Last time we were keen to appoint from within but now we"re interested to see what interest comes in from outside.'

Anyone interested in applying for the manager"s job at Oakley should call Hynd on 07833 310261.