Thomas Scobbie named Berwick Rangers manager after Stuart Malcolm leaves to join Arbroath

In a statement to the fans, Malcolm, who took charge of his 100th competitive match on Saturday, said he was leaving “with a heavy heart”.

He added: “I had no intention of leaving the club, until I was offered the chance to join the coaching staff at Arbroath by Dick Campbell recently. I agonised over whether to accept the offer – for a large part because of how much I wanted to stay at Berwick – but ultimately the chance to work in the Championship with a team who were half an hour from top flight football two seasons ago was something I couldn’t turn down. I am excited to start this new challenge at Arbroath, but at the same time that means saying goodbye to Berwick Rangers, so I have conflicting emotions.”

Malcolm went on to thank former chairman Brian Porteous, who brought him to the club, new chairman Kevin Dixon, the coaching staff and players, past and present, and all the club’s volunteers, saying: “Their work keeps the club going and makes Shielfield Park a great place to be, and I wanted to thank them for their effort.

“A special mention must go to Dennis McCleary for his work as club secretary, often helping me with questions about player registration or league rules.”

He ended by thanking the fans, and said: “Berwick Rangers is a special club, and that is down to its fans. When I arrived at the club, the place was still reeling from its relegation from the SPFL, but your support never wavered.”

New manager Scobbie has been on the club’s coaching staff for 18 months and this will be his first managerial role. An experienced player, he won 12 Under-21 caps for Scotland. He said: “I firmly believe that a football club works best when we are all strong and united, and I have already spoken to the chairman about my ambition to build a relationship within the club from top to bottom.”

He will be in the dugout tomorrow when the club travel to Camelon Juniors in the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup First Round.