Garry Wright quits as head coach at St Andrews United

Wright, a full-time coach for Dunfermline Athletic Community Football Club by day, took over from prior manager Robbie Raeside in June but acting as head coach under chairman and director of football Fraser Ogston rather than as a traditional gaffer.

Though initially optimistic about that arrangement, with Stevie Kay as assistant head coach and Stevie Clark joining the Saints’ coaching set-up in August, Wright, previously assistant manager to Raeside, felt it hadn’t been working out of late, prompting his exit.

“Results hadn’t been great but it wasn’t the football side of things that was the issue,” he said. “I’ve no doubt that we could have turned things around and stayed up.

“I just don’t think having a director of football works at this level.

“There are no hard feelings. I’ve enjoyed my time at the club and I didn’t want to leave, but I just couldn’t see that arrangement working.

“I thought it maybe could have worked and I gave it a try but it didn’t.

“There’d been a lot of changes.”

A club spokesperson said: “We would like to thank Garry for all his hard work during his time at the club.

“He was an integral part of the success of St Andrews United over the last couple of years.

“We wish him all the best in the future and he will always be welcome back at the club.”

Wright’s last match in charge was a 2-1 home defeat to Tynecastle on Saturday.

Owen Andrew put the hosts ahead with a first-half header but their Edinburgh opponents hit back after the break via Sam Nicolson and Andrei Samoila to claim all three points.

That was followed by a 2-1 win away to Hutchison Vale on Wednesday under interim head coach Clark, with Freddie Rowe and Andrew on target for Saints in the capital.

United are on the road again this Saturday, at Luncarty, near Perth, with a 2pm kick-off.

They go into that away-day third from bottom of the East of Scotland Football League’s premier division, on nine points from 11 fixtures, one place and one point worse off than their upcoming hosts but with a game in hand on them.