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Long serving fitness coach Tam Ritchie is to leave Cove Rangers after five years with the club, his final game being Saturday’s League One closer against Edinburgh City.

Tam joined us back in 2019 as part of Paul Hartley’s backroom team and has been a popular, and important, figure ever since, playing a major role in all the success we have enjoyed in the SPFL.

That has entailed driving up and down from his home in Fife three or four times each week, and it is the travelling which has led to Tam’s decision; he feels it is time to cut back on the mileage and find a role closer to home.

He does however admit it is a wrench to leave Balmoral Stadium:

“When you win things at a club, as we did at Alloa and at Cove, you stay there forever in terms of the friendships you make, the people you’ve drunk champagne with. That never, ever leaves you.

“Today’s squad is a balance of young and old, but I think back to the likes of Harry Milne, Stuart McKenzie, Ryan Strachan, Scotty Ross, Jordon Brown, Rory McAllister; the bonds are there, and they always will be.

“So many memories, wonderful memories, so many good times. Of course, it’s difficult to leave all that behind, but the club will always be special to me.”

A highly decorated athlete – Tam won various titles during a glowing amateur career, competing against the likes of Tom McKean and Paul Forbes, and was British 800m champion on multiple occasions after turning professional – he got his opening in football thanks to the former Hibernian goalkeeper, Jim McArthur, who had recommended him to Craig Levein, then embarking on his managerial career with Cowdenbeath in 1997:

“A meeting had been arranged by Jim, so I went up to see Craig, and what he was doing fitness-wise was fine, but he felt I could help out, and that was it. We were there for just over two years, and then he got the Hearts job, and we were off to Tynecastle.

“I was born a Hearts supporter, and forever will be, and I remember speaking to Craig right back at the start and asking him ‘are you planning on taking me to your next club?’, and he said one hundred percent yes. That was good enough for me.

“I was actually in the shower one morning, listening to one of those waterproof radios, and they announced Craig was going to be the new Hearts manager. I did not have a clue, and when they said it was him, I knew there and then I was off to my boyhood club. I ended up there for ten years, and it was phenomenal.”

It was with Hearts he first came across Paul Hartley, who felt he needed to get fitter to achieve his ambitions as a player, and asked Tam to guide him:

“He wanted to do extra work in the afternoons, and I was happy to help. He put so much into it and his career duly took off as he became that box-to-box midfielder we all remember. Years later, after I had come back from Belgium, where I had been working with Charleroi, my wife had asked me to take a wee break, a few months off, which I had agreed to. It didn’t last; three weeks into that, Paul called me to say he’d got the Alloa job and wanted me to help him, and of course, I said yes.”

Tam has been with the manager ever since, and Paul says he has been a brilliant colleague during that time:

“First and foremost, I’m sad to see him go. I totally understand why he has made the decision, but he’s been by my side since 2003, so he will be a big miss in terms of his professionalism, and more importantly, as a friend.

“He was the first fitness coach I came across as a player, and he had a huge influence on my career, doing extra sessions to keep me on top of my game.

“When I went into management, at Alloa, he was the first person I called, and I think it’s fair to say that Tam Ritchie has been the best signing I have ever made. Wherever we have been, and he joined me at Dundee, Falkirk, and twice at Cove, we have always had a super-fit team, and that’s been down to him.

“I have such a strong connection with Tam, a real strong bond, and it is going to be difficult to replace him. It will certainly feel strange not having him alongside me when we kick-off next season.”

Overall, Tam has worked at eight clubs, but while Hearts will always be his first love, he hopes to maintain links with Cove Rangers:

“It has been a brilliant time, and there’s one thing I will always remember about Cove. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in eight promotions during my career, five league titles, and Cove Rangers are the only ones to make sure I got winners’ medals. I’m assuming the Chairman paid extra so that the staff could get medals too, and I will always appreciate that. I gave one to my former athletics coach, George Stark, which he loves.”

“Far away though it may be, I’ll still be coming up to watch a game when I can, and I’ll certainly pop along when Cove are playing the likes of East Fife or Alloa, clubs closer to home.”

Everyone at Balmoral Stadium would like to thank Tam for his years of service, and to wish him all the very best for his future career.

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