Macca: '˜Whoever gets this job will work with the best chairman, club and support you could wish for'

Martin McIntosh says whoever replaces him as Buxton manager will work with the best chairman, club and support they could wish for.
Former Buxton Manager Martin McIntosh.  Picture by Dan WestwellFormer Buxton Manager Martin McIntosh.  Picture by Dan Westwell
Former Buxton Manager Martin McIntosh. Picture by Dan Westwell

The Scot left the Silverlands club this morning after the board decided to part company with the boss.

He was Bucks manager for six years and admits it was probably time for a change, for both parties.

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But there’s no bitterness from the ex Rotherham United stalwart, towards anyone at Buxton FC.

Buxton v Frickley Athletic Evo-Stik Premier Division The Silverlands, Buxton. 9th September 2014  Buxton Manager Martin McIntosh with hat trick hero Shaun Tuton at full time.  Picture by Dan WestwellBuxton v Frickley Athletic Evo-Stik Premier Division The Silverlands, Buxton. 9th September 2014  Buxton Manager Martin McIntosh with hat trick hero Shaun Tuton at full time.  Picture by Dan Westwell
Buxton v Frickley Athletic Evo-Stik Premier Division The Silverlands, Buxton. 9th September 2014 Buxton Manager Martin McIntosh with hat trick hero Shaun Tuton at full time. Picture by Dan Westwell

Speaking just hours after learning his fate from chairman Dave Hopkins, McIntosh had apparently come to terms with the news.

“I had a conversation with the chairman this morning, he decided after six years he wants to go in a different direction, which I’m completely fine with,” said the 46-year-old.

“We had a good conversation, he said they had a board meeting last night and it was a very difficult decision for them, but it’s one I’m actually fine with.

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“If I’m being honest, I’ve probably been at Buxton too long.

Buxton v Frickley Athletic Evo-Stik Premier Division The Silverlands, Buxton. 9th September 2014  Buxton Manager Martin McIntosh with hat trick hero Shaun Tuton at full time.  Picture by Dan WestwellBuxton v Frickley Athletic Evo-Stik Premier Division The Silverlands, Buxton. 9th September 2014  Buxton Manager Martin McIntosh with hat trick hero Shaun Tuton at full time.  Picture by Dan Westwell
Buxton v Frickley Athletic Evo-Stik Premier Division The Silverlands, Buxton. 9th September 2014 Buxton Manager Martin McIntosh with hat trick hero Shaun Tuton at full time. Picture by Dan Westwell
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“For me it’s a shame that had we won on Saturday we’d be 11th, but we’re now 15th.

“It’s probably, over the course of the six years, the lowest position in the league that Buxton have ever been.

“That’s a shame, to be in that position.”

McIntosh is proud of the club’s record under his tenure, having saved them from relegation in the 2011/12 season in his first three months in charge and then led them to flirtations with the Evo-Stik Northern Premier play-offs.

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“Last October we were first in the league after beating Whitby and that was a high point, I think it was the highest position Buxton have ever been in, in their history,” he said.

“To be top of the Evo-Stik was brilliant, we’ve touched on the top six a lot but ultimately we never got in the play-offs.

“I couldn’t quite break into that top five.

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“I don’t want to make excuses, we have had four or five key players injured this season, I don’t think I’ve done badly.”

McIntosh’s reign saw the emergence of Marc Roberts as a real talent and then former Buck, now at Birmingham City, is one of a number of players Buxton sold to make a tidy profit.

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The outgoing manager is pleased that, as a club, Buxton helped players move up the footballing ladder.

“Marc Roberts was probably the best, there was Ash Palmer, Danny Burns, Craig King, Liam Hardy, Brad Abbott this year,” he said.

“I’ve brought in £75,000 or £80,000 in player sales over the past four and a half years I think it is, but that’s not just been me it’s the whole club.

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“We never stood in any player’s way and that was the chairman and myself, we had that agreement.

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“It wasn’t just about the here and now and the club, but helping people further their careers.

“We could perhaps have got more money for players, but Dave didn’t want to be that chairman and I didn’t want to be that manager to stop someone making their way in football.”

Chairman Dave Hopkins is someone McIntosh says he’s relished working with, but he’s far from alone in making the last six years enjoyable for the former Worksop Town manager.

“Six years I’ve been there and it’s been absolutely fantastic,” he said.

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“The chairman Dave Hopkin has been brilliant to work with, as was Tony Tomlinson before that.

“There’s good people all around Buxton Football Club.

“I thank the players for their enthusiasm in every game and every training session.

“Greg Young and a few players have been really loyal to me for four or five years, the mainstays for the club.

“And Tim Ryan my assistant is a brilliant person to be working with.

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“The secretaries, the kit women, everyone. I couldn’t have a bad word to say about anyone, the club or the fans.

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“The secretaries, Don and Mike, would drive on a Friday two hours to sign a player for me.

People like that are invaluable, they couldn’t do enough for me.

“I hope Buxton as a club do great and I’m sure they will, there’s good people there.”

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Although McIntosh feels that familiarity had perhaps started to breed a little contempt amongst a section of the club’s fanbase, he appreciates the backing he’s enjoyed during his stint.

And he predicts that the next manager will enjoy the same.

“There’s one or two this year, maybe it was just familiarity, I’ve been there that long and they probably need a change, something fresh.

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“I probably need something fresh, but the fans have been brilliant, they’ve very rarely given me stick.

“Whoever gets this job will be working with the best chairman, at the best club with the best support you could ever get.

“I would rather have left them in first rather than 15th.”

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He’s already turning his attention to what could be next, and is determined to stay involved in the game.

“I will be in football, I’m still as enthusiastic as I’ve ever been.

“I think I’ve had three months out of football since I’ve been 16 and that was three months from Worksop to Buxton.

“That’s 30 years.

“I’m a football person, I’ve got a lot to offer in my opinion and still got a massive enthusiasm for the game.”