He admits that the manner of his departure after nearly three years will have been tough for Forth committee men to accept, but wishes the Kingshill Park club well for the future.

Anderson said: "Leaving Forth was an awkward situation for me, but these things are always cloak and dagger.

"The last people to find out about you getting a new job are always your former employers.

"I phoned Forth official John McCormick the night I took the Larkhall job to tell him about my decision.

"I understand that the people I've left behind at Forth will feel bad, but this is an opportunity to manage in Central Division 1 and I might not get a chance like it again.

"It was a tough decision to leave, because Forth Wanderers were fantastic to me and couldn't have been nicer.

"It is a fantastic bunch of guys who run Forth and they deserve every success."

For further information on this story, see this week's Carluke and Lanark Gazette, which is in the shops now.