Debbi McCulloch discusses “emotional” goodbye as she bows out as Spartans manager

Debbi McCulloch took charge of her last game as Spartans manager on Sunday, as a 1-1 draw with Montrose put an end to a decade-long era.

The head coach announced that her time in charge of the women’s side was coming to an end at the start of the month after she claimed the CEO role at the Community Foundation. This decision has brought an end to over a decade of management from McCulloch across two five-year spells starting back in 2010. Now, after leading Spartans out for the final time last weekend, McCulloch admits it has been emotional. 

“It’s been emotional and it is difficult to say goodbye or cheerio,” she told the Edinburgh Evening News. “It has not been an easy decision and I need a wee bit of time to just reflect on that and a bit of space just to try and miss it. Not grieve necessarily because that sounds a bit dramatic but I will miss being part of that dressing room to be sure.”

Her final game at Ainslie Park was the 291st time McCulloch led the side out. While her final season hasn’t gone the way she would have planned it, McCulloch can hold her head high after guiding Spartans to four League Cup and Scottish Cup finals as well as a 2nd place finish in the SWPL back in 2011. 

Her final game looked like it would end in heartbreak as Spartans trailed Montrose for all 90 minutes. However, substitute Erin Henderson popped up in the dying seconds to head home a dramatic equaliser. 

“I tried to not make it about me today, I wanted the focus to be on getting something from the game,” McCulloch added. “If I brought too much emotion into it, that would have been distracting for me and the players. Very little has been said and I am quite happy to slip out of the back door quietly.”

A new manager at Spartans is expected to be appointed in the Christmas break. Applications for the role closed on Friday.