Thorn Athletic have confirmed a change at the top, with Derrick McMillan appointed as the club’s new first-team manager following the departure of David Watt earlier this month.
The first announcement, made on 4th December, confirmed that the club had parted company with Watt after a year in charge. Thorn thanked him and his coaching team for their work, most notably guiding the club to the Third Division title after a successful campaign. At the time, development team coaches Derrick McMillan and John McNeill were placed in interim charge for the following match against Glenvale.
A further update released this week confirmed that McMillan has now been appointed as first-team manager on a permanent basis. He will be supported by a coaching team consisting of John McNeill, Kenny McLachlan and Kyle Reid.
McMillan brings recent success to the role, having won the WOSFDL title in 2024, and also has previous experience from spells with Beith and Greenock. McLachlan joins from Greenock, where he served as a goalkeeping coach.
As part of the reshuffle, John McNeill will now take over as Development Team manager, assisted by Ross Smith and Dylan Bolam, with the club describing the appointments as a continuation of its policy of promoting from within.