Craig Palmer has said he left Arthurlie with his head held high as his time as manager came to an end at the weekend.

He parted company with the Barrhead club after a 2-1 defeat against Troon at Dunterlie Park on Saturday.

It was Arthurlie's fourth successive loss and leaves them perilously close to the relegation places in the Premier Division.

Palmer said both the club and himself felt it was the right time for a change.

He told Barrhead Sport: “I spoke to the club and there was no fall-out or anything, we just felt it was best for both of us.

“It wasn’t that the boys had downed tools because I know I had a lot of boys in there that I trust and they are all working their socks off. The luck isn’t there for them just now and it’s just not falling for them."

Palmer, who pulled on the Arthurlie shirt during his playing days, was named as a coach at the Barrhead club in 2020, when George Fotheringham was appointed boss.

When Andy McFadyen took over, Palmer became his assistant and helped to guide the club through an invincible campaign in Conference A last season to gain promotion to the Premier Division.

McFadyen stepped down prior to the 2022/23 season, with Palmer then becoming the main man in the dugout.

“I hold my head high because, when I went in two or three years ago, it was an Arthurlie that were struggling and mediocre in the Championship," said Palmer.

“We went in and ripped it up and brought in a full new team, apart from five players, and went on to win the Conference undefeated and went on some good cup runs to get them back where they should be."

In a social media post, Arthurlie also confirmed that Ryan McArdle, Robert Kerr and Darren Ramsay have joined Palmer in leaving the club.

The statement added: "We would like to thank Craig and his coaching team for their efforts and wish them well for the future."

For more on Palmer's departure, make sure you get this week's Barrhead News.