Clark joins for a third time

Sandy Clark returns to East End Park today (Wednesday 27th May) as Assistant Manager to Allan Johnston.

The 58 year old was assistant to Darren Young last season at Albion Rovers, but in April 1990 at the age of 33 year old he played four games for Dunfermline before hanging up his boots. His striking partners at Dunfermline included Ross Jack, Istvan Kozma and George O'Boyle.

Clark managed Partick Thistle, Hearts, Hamilton Academical and St Johnstone before becoming part of Jimmy Calderwood's coaching team at Dunfermline, Aberdeen and then Kilmarnock.

He worked as first team coach at Kilmarnock until the end of the 2009–10 season. Clark was a sports performance lecturer at Cumbernauld College after leaving the Rugby Park club, running courses at the college premises at Clyde’s Broadwood Stadium.

Clark was appointed Queen of the South assistant manager to Allan Johnston on 14 May 2012. Johnston and Clark signed a one-year contract extension on 13 April 2013, but then moved to Kilmarnock as the club's new management team in June 2013. Clark left Kilmarnock in May 2014 and was appointed Darren Young's assistant manager of Albion Rovers in June.

Sandy Clark and the Pars new gaffer Allan Johnston go back along way, he said:-

"I met Allan when he was 15 at Hearts and he has got a great awareness of the game. If you can take that with you as a manager then you can be successful."

Success came for the partnership at Queen of the South where together they won the Second Division championship and the Challenge Cup.

Allan Johnston gave his thoughts on his first signing:-

"I have worked with Sandy before, he has got a lot of experience and John and I are still relatively young so it is good to have a bit of experience alongside us. Sandy is only coming in part time but John and I will be here every day. Hopefully it should work well."

Sandy will be in on a Tuesday, Thursday and on match days. The manager stressed that the three coaches will work as a team with John Potter also having the responsibility for the Under 20s in addition to working with the first team.

"The Under 20s and first team squads will be training together sometimes so it should work well. Sandy has come in to help me with the first team.

"Sandy has a different character from me and John. He brings experience and he has done well in the lower divisions before. You can see his success at Queen of the South when I was there, last year at Albion Rovers and he knows a lot of players in the lower divisions. It is good to have somebody with that experience alongside us."

Asked about the effect on his budget as a consequence of bringing in a number two Allan replied:-

"That shouldn't make any difference to the player budget. It was agreed that that would be separate.

"I think the management team will all work well together. We are all different personalities but we are all desperate for success and all want to do well. That should drive us all forward as a club."

Sandy Clark first interview to follow

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