Even though Morrison quit Glossop North End yesterday (Sunday) to take over as manager at NWCL first division north club Cheadle Town, he insists the two men are as close as ever.
“We have a great relationship — Bandy’s my best mate and he’s like a brother to me. Like brothers we had barneys but that was always because we wanted to win. I’d want to do things a certain way and he’d want to do them another way, but we always came to an agreement. We never took anything personally,” explained Morrison.
“There’s been no falling out. I’ve had to leave Surrey Street because covid-19 has done for me. I’ve had to change companies and my new one is far stricter with my time-management.
“I’m no longer able to juggle my schedule. If I’m told to be in a certain place at a certain time on a certain day, then that’s where I have to be. It’s probably the first time in my life that my family has come before football.
“So I had to be open and honest with Bandy. Northern Premier League football demands a level of commitment I was no longer able to give. It would have been wrong if I’d stayed there giving less than 100 per cent because Glossop don’t deserve that and it would have been my fault if something had gone wrong.
“Glossop are a great club with fantastic fans and volunteers, and it was a privilege to be with Bandy who has done so well and works like an absolute Trojan. Unfortunately, my family and my job had to come first.
“My new job as Cheadle Town manager ticks all the boxes. It’s ten minutes from my house and six of the away games are within 15 minutes. Only three are more than 30 or 40 minutes.”
Morrison and Band came together in 2013. They spent five years as co-bosses of Mossley — winning two Manchester Premier Cups — and after a short break moved to Surrey Street in the autumn of 2018.
Band added: “Lloyd said after Saturday’s game that he was considering his future and then told me on Sunday that he’d be quitting. I fully understand. Family and your job have to come first and I respect that.
“We had a chance meeting in Denton seven years ago and then boom. Everyone knows you never got an ounce of sense out of either of us, but while we might have been daft it was because we believe you’re only here once and see no point in bawling and shouting at players.
“I think our record together speaks for itself. I’m also proud of the fact that we were able to reignite the fire in some players as Lloyd puts it. There’s a long list of people we brought through who went on to higher levels like Richard Bennett, Tom Dean, Tom Pratt and Lewis Nightingale.”
Band will now manage Glossop alone with Andy Harris as his assistant. Otherwise things are staying the same with “no big reshuffle”