Greig McDonald wasn’t sure if he wanted a return to the hot seat.
The recently appointed East Fife manager spent time away from the senior game after retiring as a player.
A short stint in the Juniors followed before he spent almost five years working with different age groups in Partick Thistle’s academy.
McDonald made 189 appearances as a player at Bayview before moving to Stirling Albion.
He was promoted to player-manager there, winning promotion from League 2 via the play-offs.
Uncertain of future
McDonald finished his playing career as a player-coach at Annan Athletic.
A return to management is not something he was desperate for – or something he ruled out.
“I think if you’d asked me when I just left Stirling I probably would have said no,” McDonald told Courier Sport.
“Having been away at academy level, I knew that first-team level is where I wanted to operate, I wanted to work in men’s football.
“I actually applied for the [East Fife] job when it come up and Stevie got it.
“It was funny that Stevie picked up the phone to me and said ‘would you come in and help me?’.
That phone call last December saw him return to Bayview as Crawford’s assistant.
Lessons learned
Like most managers he’s picked up lessons from each of the bosses he has worked under.
As well as Crawford, McDonald had spells under the likes of Jimmy Calderwood and Jim Chapman.
He took a lot from his own experience of management as well.
“When I left [Stirling] I wrote down a lot of things,” said McDonald.
“Things like handling situations with players, how to manage up the way with the board, as well as managing down the way with players.
“I’m fortunate that in my day job I’m a project manager by trade, so you do a lot of that stuff anyway.
“There were certain things that you take, tactical things that you look at and maybe try – things maybe that you’ve tried that didn’t work, what not to do.”
Easing back into management
East Fife started the league season well before a lull in results ahead of Crawford’s departure to become Liam Fox’s assistant at Dundee United.
The form picked up again not long afterwards.
After initially being appointed as caretaker McDonald was given the job on a permanent basis – with Paul Thomson promoted from first-team coach to assistant.
“The players have made it really easy for me, the way they’ve responded,” said McDonald.
“Everybody at the club has got behind us.”
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