Herd immunity: Linlithgow Rose chairman Jon Mahoney reveals new arrival Gordon Herd was only man interviewed for manager's job

“We received 10 or 12 applications from a wide range of backgrounds,” Mahoney told the Journal and Gazette. "We identified Gordon as our preferred candidate, he was with us for over 10 years as a player, he knows what’s expected, what Linlithgow is about and that’s a good starting point.

"Once we had determined and understood Gordon’s ambitions, we didn’t need to take the interviews any further.

"He also knows the East of Scotland set-up. He comes on the back of having four or five years at Camelon doing very well.

"That ticked a lot of boxes in terms of understanding the club, understanding the level that we play at and he’s proved he’s got an eye for a player.

"At Camelon he transformed their squad and made them really competitive, won a couple of trophies with them.

"We felt he was a really good fit.”

Linlithgow go into Herd’s first game in charge – a home Scottish Cup preliminary round clash against Banks O’Dee this Saturday – on the back of an emphatic 5-1 home league win over Dunbar United last weekend.

Doubles from Alan Docherty and Tommy Coyne along with a Gary Thom free-kick saw the Rose bounce back to top form with this convincing victory.

Caretaker gaffer Craig Donaldson took charge for the last time.