Former Lossiemouth manager Jim Walker has explained the series of events that lead up to his surprise departure from the club last night and as you will read he seems as shocked as anyone.

In an interview with www.highlandleague.net Walker explained that he had no inkling of what was about to happen when he went along to training last night and that when he told the players many of them thought he was winding them up.

He said, "I went through last night and the pitch was a bit frosty so we went over the Wick game with them and discussed the formation then added in a bit on the Berwick formation and how they like to play as well just going over some general stuff.

"The ground was getting harder so I just told them to head out for a warm up, some stretching and just a short half an hour of work to ease them off. The board have a meeting every Tuesday and the chairman came through and asked to have a word for five minutes so I said "nae bother".

"I thought it would just be some stuff for the programme as we normally do that but then he said "I am away to do a job that I don't like doing" and I thought, hold on a minute, then he explained that they were going to part company with me, it took me by surprise.

"I went out and told the players and most of them through I was winding them up. It certainly had taken me by surprise but I had a chat with Tommy and if he can stay with the club as far as possible to look after the players more than anything as I am worried about them.

The next three weeks will see many of them preparing for the biggest game of their life. Hopefully they can regroup and get some results.

"If there is anything else going on I don't know about it and if the club had came to me and said we are not happy about this or that and given me to Christmas I could have understood that."

"I feel as though I have put some money into the club by getting them in to the Scottish Cup and you can't expect to lose players like Shally and Biscuits (Darren Shallicker and Shawn Scott) and not see an effect. Mo (Craig Morrison) has come in and is finding his feet, he is a real find, while Scholesy (Graeme Kennedy) is understandably adjusting to the pace of the Highland League and you will see him come on from Christmas to the end of the season.

"Jordan Main, we have held him back a bit to help him with this positional sense on the defensive side of things because he is great going forward. He is raw but he is learning and I think he would recognise that we have helped him."

Walker admits that he felt there may have been someone waiting in the wings when he heard the news for a start and so he posed that question.

"I asked if there was someone else lined up and they said no which was an even bigger surprise. I just wish the club all the best and especially the players. I will be happy to help Tommy and pass on any information that I have and he might require while it will be of use to him."