Joe Hamill swaps Haddington Athletic for Musselburgh Athletic

The former Hearts man had been in the managerial hot seat at Millfield for four years but has chosen to take the step up from the East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) First Division Conference A to the EoSFL Premier Division and succeed Kevin Milne as Burgh boss.

Musselburgh Athletic, who made their Scottish Cup debut last season, have ambitions of making the step up to the fifth tier of Scottish football – the Lowland League – and Hamill wants to be part of that journey.

He said: “Player, manager or whatever else, your ambitions are to go up the way; that’s it.

“Hopefully, I’m here for a while – I’m not the type to jump club.

“I was at Haddington for four or five years and there were opportunities along the way to leave but I didn’t want to.

“Now is the time.”

Haddington Athletic had started the season with four points from the opening two games and Hamill told Courier Sport it was emotional breaking the news to the club’s committee after victory over Arniston Rangers last Wednesday.

Joe Hamill watches on during Musselburgh Athletic's clash with Crossgates Primrose

Hamill will be joined by Davie Simmonds, who was goalkeeping coach with Haddington, at Olivebank.

Hamill said: “It is a cliché but it was a ridiculously hard decision.

“There have been sleepless nights thinking about leaving because nearly every time if you leave a club there are negatives or bad points.

“There is absolutely nothing like that at Haddington.

“Since the day we have come in, the committee, everybody involved, all the players I have worked with and all the coaches have been unbelievable.

“It was tough having that chat with the committee after the Arniston game and I had to stop because I could not carry on.

“Davie carried on my sentences and that was me, I started greeting.”

Hamill, 37, who took charge as the Hi Hi enjoyed a memorable Scottish Cup debut of their own last season, met his new players at the end of last week.

He was in the dugout for the club’s 2-2 draw with Crossgates Primrose on Saturday.

The former Livingston and Leicester City man was not getting carried away with the club’s impressive start: a win and a draw from Burgh’s first two games before Hamill joined.

Musselburgh Athletic (blue) drew 2-2 with Crossgates Primrose

He said: “It is a weird time to come in – two games into the season.

“I was at the game the other night against Sauchie and Musselburgh deserved their win.

“It is early doors and we will take it a game at a time.

“I used to play under managers who set targets but I just take it a game at a time.

“I hope at the end of the season we have won more than we lost.

“The boys are good enough to challenge.”

Karl Cleghorn, president of Musselburgh Athletic, was delighted to get Hamill in ahead of a busy campaign.

He predicted Hamill would become “a fans’ favourite” and said: “It was really straight forward.

“We have got an improving football team on the park and needed to continue that improvement and find where we could get even more improvement from the players we have got.

“It is just about adding a few because the blend we have is very good.

“We have a blend of experience, of youth, of midfield, strikers and defence.”