Davie Irons - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

Irons spent five years with Annan Athletic (as their player-manager) between 1997 and 2002. He finished his playing career in 2005 after a three-year spell at Gretna, at which point he became assistant manager to Rowan Alexander. He became caretaker-manager of the club between March 2007 and the end of the 2006-07 season during Alexander's absence. Gretna won promotion to the Premier League on 28 April 2007, with a 3-2 win at Ross County. The result clinched the First Division championship for Gretna, a point ahead of Irons' former club St. Johnstone. It was announced on 18 July 2007 that Irons would be Gretna's manager on a permanent basis, with Mick Wadsworth as his assistant. On 19 February 2008, Irons resigned as Gretna manager with immediate effect. Soon afterwards the club entered administration and went out of business at the end of the 2007–08 season.

Irons was hired as manager of Greenock Morton, after resigning from the Gretna job in February 2008. His first act was to help keep Morton in the First Division, managing to defeat Dunfermline Athletic and Partick Thistle, both 3–0 to allow Morton to finish one goal above Clyde and finish in 8th position in the league.

In his first full season as manager of Morton, Irons guided them to sixth in the table despite a poor start taking only four points from the first quarter of the season. He also managed to achieve a victory over Hibs at Easter Road Stadium in the Scottish League Cup. However, after a poor start to the 2009–10 season, losing 5 of the first 6 matches and with the club bottom of the First Division, Irons was sacked on the 21 September 2009 along with assistant Derek Collins.

After being sacked by Morton, Irons joined South of Scotland league side Threave Rovers as a player/coach. When Irons came off the bench in the last minute against Whitehill Welfare on 24 October 2009, he became the oldest player to have ever played in a Scottish Cup match aged 48 years 98 days. Irons replaced Gerry Britton as assistant manager of Partick Thistle in January 2010, but Irons was sacked by the club on 26 February 2010. After being sacked, Irons returned to Threave Rovers as player coach. At the age of 49, on 20 November 2010 he played for Threave in the third round of the Scottish Cup in the 2-2 draw away against Stenhousemuir.

Irons took up the role of manager at Stenhousemuir at the end of December 2010. He resigned this position in July 2012 due to personal reasons.

Following him resigning to take up a job in the police, Irons also took a part-time role as a scout for Carlisle United.