Former Boroughmuir manager Suzy Shepherd felt the “time was right” to leave the club

Shepherd had been at the club for five and a half years and guided Boroughmuir into the SWPL2 during her spell as manager. Yet, just hours after the 2022/23 season concluded, the former Spartans head coach announced that she would not be taking charge of the side next season.

“I just felt that the time was right,” she told the Edinburgh Evening News. “When I first started at Boroughmuir, they were very much like a social recreational team sitting tenth in the first division. The main thing I wanted to achieve was to change the mindset, the aspirations and to try and turn them into a more professional team to compete at a higher level. I also wanted the team to play SWPL2 football so that there was a clear pathway in place so the youth players could easily transition into the first team and not have to level to play SWPL football.

“I feel that they have achieved that aim, and they are in a good place at the moment, competing at the top end of the SWPL2. If you look over the past two years how far they have come in such a short space of time. They have just missed out on promotion on the last day of the season as well as this season. That’s a credit to the club, the coaches and all the players.

“I am proud of what we have achieved as well as all the youth players that have made the transition into good players and people. The time was right, I achieved all the things I wanted to do. I got them into the SWPL2, changed the mindset, made them a more professional outfit and there is also now somewhere for their youth players to go – we all know they have quite a lot of good youth players. They have lost a few good youth players over the years perhaps because the first team wasn’t able to accommodate them because it was very much a social recreational team.”

Now after spending 30 straight years in football as a player and a coach, Shepherd has earnt a well-deserved rest. However, with nothing yet lined up, Shepherd doesn’t believe it’ll be long until she gets itchy feet again.

“When I look back to when I stepped down as being head coach at Spartans,” she added. “I certainly never had anything in mind and then after few weeks, I found myself becoming the head coach at Boroughmuir. That just came on the back of a conversation and that was just the right fit for me.

“Nothing is in place yet but I am sure I will get itchy feet soon and be looking to get back involved in some capacity whether that’s as a head coach or assistant. For now, I am not sure, after the first few weeks after stepping down, it is important that I just reflex on the last few years and look back on exactly what I have achieved at Boroughmuir. What went well, what I could have done differently. Just try and take bits and bobs from that experience into my next role whenever that may be.”