Queens appoint Skelton as manager

Skelton has signed a contract taking him to the end of the 2016/17 season after taking temporary charge of the Championship football club at the end of last season.
The new boss said: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity as manager of Queen of the South.
“Now I can start plans and preparations for what will be an exciting and hopefully successful season.
He added: “As a club we will strive to compete for a place in the play offs in a very strong league.
“The club have re-signed a number of players in the last few weeks and I will be looking to add a few new faces to the squad.
“Having been at the club last year I know there is a good mix of experienced players alongside some exciting young players who I expect to play a big part this season.
“I will be working extremely hard to ensure I produce a committed, passionate and talented team that all Queen of the South supporters will enjoy watching and most importantly be proud to support.”
The Englishman joined Queen of the South as assistant to James Fowler in June last year and was in caretaker charge for the final two games of the season.
The management team will be strengthened by Jim Thomson in his new role as football development manager – which will oversee all footballing aspects of the club.
Queen of the South Chairman Billy Hewitson said: “The club are pleased to announce the appointment of Gavin Skelton as manager of Queen of the South.
“We spoke to a number of applicants but were impressed with Gavin’s enthusiasm and ambition, his knowledge of football in both Scotland and Northern England, and his desire to see more regular training sessions held in Dumfries.
He added: “In addition to this we have announced Jim Thomson in his senior role of football development manager.
“The club have identified certain areas in which we feel the club need to move forward successfully and we feel the constant in this will be Jim Thomson.”