The search for Whitey Anderson’s replacement as Ballinamallard head coach is well under way, and although applications for the position do not close until Friday, Chairman Jeff Aiken has already admitted that he has been delighted with the response the club has received in relation to the position.
“We have been very pleased with the interest that has been shown,” he said. “I think we should be an attractive proposition for head coaches, either for someone experienced or someone new looking to get in at that level. There are only twelve posts available in Northern Ireland for Premiership head coaches and only one is vacant at the moment so it should be attractive.”
When Whitey stepped into the top job ten years ago he was already a well-known face around the club, but the Chairman admits the club will be spreading the net wide in the search for the new boss this time around. “We have opened it to everybody both internal and external and we have no pre-set ideas,” he said. “There are certain criteria the manager must have to help us maintain our domestic and pro licence so we need someone that can tick that box, but outside of that we have an open mind. It has to someone who is willing to work with potentially one of the smallest playing budgets of any team in the Premier League and someone who can get the best out of a good group of players.”
The process of replacing Whitey has been made more complicated by the ongoing uncertainty cast over of the relegation issue within the Premier League, but while Jeff admits the outcome will have an effect on the process, he is keen to appoint Whitey’s successor without delay. “The process has now begun and we hope to conclude it as soon as possible, and we can’t really be any clearer than that,” he said. “The fly in the ointment is what is going to happen with regard to the Carrick and Portadown issues that are with the IFA. In terms of being able to plan ahead and finalise a manager, the club and the manager would need to know what division we will be in. Once that decision has been made then that will enable us to move ahead quickly with the finalisation of the new head coach.”
During his time as manager Whitey masterminded Ballinamallard’s dramatic rise through the divisions, and turned an improbable dream of Premier League football into reality. His departure has come as a disappointment to the Chairman, who tried to persuade him to extend his time at the club. “Whitey has been very open and honest with me and he had talked to me about leaving last season, but I had convinced him to stay on,” revealed Jeff. “Throughout the second part of this season when I tried to persuade him, he let me know that this would be his last season. I always harboured a hope that he would change his mind, but he had his mind made up and at the end of the day I had to respect that decision. As we neared the end of the season I thought maybe as I started to talk about our plans for next year it might have changed his mind, but when he said it was his final decision I had to accept that.”
The manager’s departure will mark the end of an era at the football club, and Jeff was quick to pay tribute to Whitey’s contribution over three decades. “He has been fantastic for our club,” he said. “The football club was reformed 40 years ago and he has been involved as a player, coach and manager for 75 percent of that time. Thirty years ago he came as an accomplished player and from then he was key in the upgrade and the improvements in the infrastructure as well as taking the club from intermediate football right up the Premiership football. To do that and then to stay there for hopefully five years is a testament to him. He is such a committed and -professional man. He is constantly seeking more and driving the committee on. He can at times be demanding but it’s because he wants the best. He has always driven the club to look to improve our facilities, the ground, the infrastructure, our youth structure and of course our playing base. I have been quite amazed over the last two years that I have been chairman that when there was a managerial vacancy Whitey’s name was never mentioned. Whitey has proved that he could get a team with a very low playing budget to compete with the big boys, and we will never know what he might have achieved with a bigger playing budget. I know every time I heard of a manager going I was delighted his name wasn’t mentioned, because I know if he had got in front of any board he would have been very impressive in terms of what he has done and what he could bring to any club. He will be sorely missed and a very hard act to follow.”
While Whitey has is stepping down from the manager’s position, the Chairman admits that he has already held discussions with Whitey about remaining with the club in a role focussed on developing the youth. 
“I have been speaking to him about that,” he admitted. 
“I do believe that he needs to refresh the batteries, but Whitey would be great in a role in our youth development and linked with the academy director, helping not with the senior team but in terms of the development of our younger players so they are ready for the Under 20 development league and the senior team.
 His skills will continue to benefit us, the younger players on the way through and the coaches of the younger teams. He’s not going to be lost to us.”