Boss Sibbald leaves Syngenta as club blocked from joining East of Scotland League

Syngenta Juveniles’ ambitious bid to join the Scottish football pyramid has been rejected.
By The Newsroom
Published 1st May 2019, 17:58 BST
Updated 1st May 2019, 18:25 BST
Gary Sibbald joined Syngenta last year. Picture Chris Billinge.Gary Sibbald joined Syngenta last year. Picture Chris Billinge.
Gary Sibbald joined Syngenta last year. Picture Chris Billinge.

And head coach Gary Sibbald, who quit his managerial role at West Calder Juniors to sign up with the Dyes a year ago, has departed in the wake of the decision.

Just 12 East of Scotland football league members turned down the application at a meeting last week. However an indicative vote of associate members found no support for the application.

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Concerns over the club’s match venue is understood to have played a part in clubs’ decisions, with the availability of Grangemouth Stadium and alternative arrangements at Little Kerse and Dunipace’s Westfield ground not enough to satisfy the EOSFL.

It left Syngenta supremo Kevin McGuire disappointed. But he said the SFA Legacy Club won’t rest on their laurels and plan to continue moving the club forward on all fronts.

He added: “As a club we have a fantastic platform to build upon and our reputation in youth football remains positive on and off the pitch. We will continue to work towards developing our player pathway and will now take some time to reflect and decide our next steps. We have moved forward significantly over the past ten years and will carry on in that vein.

“A key part of our progress will be working in partnership with Stephen Barr and the Galaxy Sports team at Little Kerse to further enhance the terrific facilities we currently enjoy.”

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Outgoing head coach Sibbald said: “It’s with a heavy heart I’ve decided to leave Syngenta following the league’s decision. I wish everyone at the club well and am now looking to explore new opportunities at a senior level.”

McGuire added: “Gary was a key part of our plans for East of Scotland and he is a talented young coach. His ambition matched ours and we thank him for putting his faith in the project. He moves on with our best wishes and the club he goes to next will be very lucky to have him.”

However the Dyes will be welcome to re-apply for 2020-21 entry to the league system which provides a pathway to the senior leagues.

Glenrothes Strollers were also rejected over their failure to meet the ground criteria at the same meeting.