FORMER Pickering Town boss Jimmy Reid is back in the Northern Counties East League – having been propelled into a managerial return by a sense of injustice at his Mill Lane departure.
Reid, sacked by NCEL premier division side Pickering on the first day of November, celebrated the new year by being confirmed as the new boss of mid-table division one side Selby Town.
He took charge for the first time in the Robins’ 2-0 defeat to Clipstone on Saturday, having replaced Ian Dring, who quit less than a week earlier after a row over expenses.
The Scot has agreed a deal until the end of the present season and will be assisted by loyal Pickering lieutenant Dean McAuley. Steve Brown, his number two at Mill Lane, will also help if and when required, while rumours have already begun that a number of current or past Pickering players may also switch to Flaxley Road in the coming weeks.
Already on board are Reid’s sons Arran and Tom – key players during his Pikes command – while stalwart defender Simon Sturdy and Ben Lock, one of Reid’s last acquisitions as Pickering boss, made the move to Selby while Dring was still in charge. Fringe player Mark Willoughby last week also left the Pikes to join up with his former boss.
“Pickering finished badly for me,” conceded Reid, who proved to be the Pikes’ most successful manager after steering the team to a first-ever North Riding County Cup conquest in more than 100 years.
“They made their decision and I want the club to continue to do well, but the more I mulled it over the more I did not want my football career to finish like that.
“The season before last, myself, Steve Brown and Dean McAuley (his assistants) saved them from the drop and last season we finished fifth and also won the North Riding County Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
“I was talking to someone the other week about how it ended at Pickering and it riled me a bit. I did not want to leave things like that.”
Reid was fully aware cash resources at Selby were limited but he was prepared to work within those restrictions, saying he just wanted to get back into the swing of things.
Reid added: “There are 18 games to go, so we are still in with a chance of finishing in the top four, which will secure the club an FA Cup tie next season. We are still in the NCEL League Cup, so there’s still a lot to aim at.
“I’ll try to get a few more players in and we’ll just see how we fare. We’ll give it a good go.”
Meanwhile, current Pikes boss Mitch Cook admitted he did not want Lock to leave.
He said: “He felt he deserved a bit more of an opportunity. We spoke about it and I wanted him to stay and I said the opportunity would come as it has for Sam Calvert. It was his decision. He felt he should be playing every week.”