Clach secretary Skinner resigns

Clachnacuddin secretary Gilbert Skinner has stepped down from his role at the club and also resigned his position as senior vice-president of the Highland League. It was with a heavy heart that the man who represented the club on the park in the 1980s made his decision. In an honest and frank interview with http://www.highlandleague.net/, Skinner revealed his feeling that Clach's current financial situation has made him feel that his position with the Highland League is untenable. He said: "On Thursday night, I submitted my resignation as the senior vice-president of the Highland League. I didn't think it was appropriate or credible to hold that post while the future of Clachnacuddin is unsure. "There are a lot of challenging issues at the moment with regards to club licensing and the possible pyramid structure within the Highland League and I didn't think it would be appropriate for me to hold that position when things are coming to fore. "With that, I felt it was the right time to step away from Clach after deciding to stand down from the Highland League. That is the way I felt and I have decided to step away from football for a while." Skinner represented the club during his playing career and returned in 1999 as club secretary. However, he missed out on the league and cup double success of 2004 as he spent 18 months in a similar role at Inverness CT from 2002. Skinner then returned to Clach five years ago and has held the role of club secretary since. "It has been an enjoyable time although the last couple of years have not been what you would have wanted because of the financial situation of the club. It is still enjoyable though because of the football and the Highland League. "I was looking forward to my role within the Highland League but it is better to step away from it just now until the future of Clachnacuddin is sorted out." Skinner was only appointed to the role as vice-president of the league at their latest AGM and his decision means that one of the top roles in the SHFL now lies vacant. He added: "I was proposed and seconded for the role and I was very grateful for the votes I received and the confidence they showed in me. I think I have got to show them confidence back by stepping away. The Highland League has got to move on and it is better without me at this present moment in time. "I have a lot of happy memories from my time with Clach and in the Highland League. It is a good, competitive league that is family-orientated. I am football person and I have been involved in football for most of my life. We don't know what the future holds so I am going to step back from it for a while and take it from there." Skinner refused to rule out the prospect of a return to football in the future but for the moment, he is just focussing on taking some time away from the game. He stated: "I am going to take a good break from football and because I have been involved in football I know to never say never. I certainly hope to stay involved in the game in some way but at what level or where, I do not know." Skinner has obviously been deeply involved behind the scenes with Clach over the years as their financial problems came up to the service, culminating in the Merkinchers going into administration last month. In a worrying indictment, the Lilywhites stalwart refused to rule out the prospect of the club going out of existence. He explained: "I believe there are a lot of challenging times that lie ahead for the club. As we all know, it is in administration and there will be difficult decisions to make. That is something that the administrator is there for. He is there to hopefully make it viable for someone to come in and keep the club going, which I sincerely hope does happen. "If you are asking me if it is going to survive, I hope it does but I do not know. The one thing I did find out over recent weeks in the Highland League is that there is a great feeling for Clachnacuddin FC from the other clubs. I think it would be a shame for the Highland League if Clachnacuddin weren't in it. There has been a lot of support from down the east coast with regards to that as well. "There are people there trying to make a difference - there's the Trust, a Supporters' Club and other people and for me, they have all got to pull together for the benefit of securing a future for the club. "At the end of the day, they have all got the club at heart and it is important that they now get together and decide what they can do to take it forward which I am sure they will. There are a lot of people with goodwill and good meaning down there and hopefully the club will keep going. The important thing for them though is to get through this season."