Junior football’s managerial merry-go-round has taken yet another new turn with the announcement that Andy Frame has stepped down as Thorniewood United’s manager to take up the reins at Cumbernauld United.

The one-time Hibs and Partick Thistle midfielder has experienced a rollercoaster two and a half seasons at Robertson Park.

The undoubted highlight came in 2015 when he steered Thorniewood to a first cup triumph in 50 years through a penalty shoot-out defeat of Blantyre Vics to lift the Euroscot Engineering Central League Cup despite having to play out the closing 30 minutes with only nine men.

Frame takes over from previous United boss George Shaw whose short-lived Guys Meadow tenure was abruptly brought to an end by a horror run of six straight defeats culminating in a Scottish Junior Cup exit at home to minnows Luncarty.

The 38-year-old, whose backroom team of J.P. McBride and Billy McDonald are likewise joining the ailing Super First Division outfit, revealed the background to his departure.

He said: "A telephone call towards the end of last week said the Cumbernauld chairman George Watson had asked to speak with me about their vacancy and I felt both flattered and unsure of what to do next.

“J.P. and I had stepped up from Whitefield Rovers to take the Thorniewood job when the club was at a very low point with just one signed player on the books so we were forced to rebuild from scratch to get on an even keel.

“Putting in a lot of hard work and forging great relationships with club officials, most notably John Miller and Ian McLaughlin, did the trick in respect of getting the club to a better place and I always felt we would be there for the long haul.

“But this out-of-the-blue approach from Cumbernauld, a club with amazing potential and with a set-up at Guys Meadow which is the envy of most Super Premier clubs, gave us plenty of food for thought.

“J.P., Billy and I took a few days to think things over and we then met up for a chat before informing Thorniewood’s committee on Saturday that our decision was to move on.

“Keeping the lid on these things is almost impossible and they asked us to let the players know before our game with Benburb because word was already out and unfortunately we lost 3-2 to end on a disappointing note.”

A battle to avoid the drop is looming for Frame and Co given that Cumbernauld are hovering just above the relegation drop zone.

However, the new gaffer says he is feeling upbeat about his new side’s chances of climbing clear of trouble.

He said: "Our aim is to lift spirits and bring a bit of stability on the playing side which should not be too difficult given the Guys Meadow dressing room contains top notch Junior types in Davie Dickson, Scott Murphy and Ryan Sullivan.

“Hopefully our enthusiasm and freshness will help put the smile back on faces again and in this respect it’s a great help not having a fixture for the next two Saturdays as we can bed ourselves in and put the time to use in getting to know the players and vice-versa.”

Posing the question as to whether new signings would be on Frame’s agenda brought the measured response.

“It’s a sign of respect to fully assess the current playing squad before talking about transfers, but rest assured we will not hesitate to make moves if needs must.”

Meanwhile, last season’s beaten semi-finalists Kilwinning Rangers landed a plum tie away to strongly fancied East Region leading lights Kelty Hearts when Glasgow City Council hosted the Scottish Junior Cup fifth round draw in the grand settings of the City Chambers yesterday afternoon.

Otherwise the draw was kind to Ayrshire clubs with record cup winners Auchinleck Talbot taking on minnows Luncarty and Glenafton faced with an equally winnable tie away to Dunbar United, while Glasgow’s remaining hopefuls Maryhill and Petershill will both be delighted to have home draws.

The full draw is: Maryhill v Linlithgow Rose, Penicuik Athletic v Rob Roy/Musselburgh Athletic, Auchinleck Talbot v Luncarty, Dunbar Utd v Glenafton, Gartcairn v Carluke Rovers, Kelty Hearts v Kilwinning Rangers, Renfrew v Sauchie, Petershill v Bonnyrigg Rose/Kilsyth Rangers (Ties to be played Saturday, February 18).