BY IAIN COLLIN – @CCP_sport
COLIN Nish insists he has left Cowdenbeath with his head held high, despite being sacked as manager yesterday in the wake of relegation to League Two.
The former Kilmarnock and Hibs striker took over at the Blue Brazil following the resignation of Jimmy Nicholl last summer when the club dropped down from the Championship to League One.
The 35-year-old was unable to prevent the Fife outfit from suffering relegation for the second successive season after they finished second bottom in the league and lost 2-1 on aggregate to Queen’s Park in their play-off semi-final.
However, the rookie boss believes that, faced with tight finances, he can be ‘proud’ of the way he carried out his role, one that has taught him huge amounts about management.
After being told his contract would not be renewed, he said: “That’s life in football, isn’t it? It was probably the only thing I hadn’t experienced this year in management, losing my job, and now I have. It feels like I’ve had everything in a season.
“I thank Cowdenbeath for the opportunity and now it’s time to move on.
“I was told it was going to be a really tough job but it was something I wanted to do, to learn and I feel like I’ve learned.
“So, in one respect it’s been really, really good for me and in the other respect it’s obviously not been so good.
Budgets
“I know we got relegated but, in my opinion, we probably finished a place above where we should have finished based on budgets.
“I don’t think I did a bad job, I’m actually quite proud of myself for how we did, but the club have decided to go a different way, which was their decision.”
Nish will take his time to decide on the next move in his career but has not ruled out going back to life as a player as he awaits his next managerial opportunity.
With assistant Jason Dair taking over at Central Park as interim boss, he added: “Has it put me off management? No, not all. I feel like I did a good job, I really do.
“If we had stayed up I think it would have been a huge achievement, based on what was available to me.
“But getting relegated seals your fate.
“I’ve learned more in that time than in 17 years of playing. Hopefully that will hold me in good stead in the future.”
