Gray, who guided the club to four Superleague titles during his nine and a half years at Crombie Park, believes it is the right decision for all concerned.

Speaking to The Piper this week, he said: "They wanted me to stay on for another season but I had a wee think about things and decided it was time for a change. I found myself lacking motivation towards the end of the season.

"It became difficult to motivate the players for the matches when I couldn't motivate myself. I have been at the club for almost a decade and perhaps it is the right time for a change and for someone new to come in with fresh ideas."

Gray says he has no plans to return to management in the immediate future and is instead looking forward to a break from the game.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do now and I may start to regret my decision come the start of August!" he said. "But I'm looking forward to having a few months off. I can't see me at another junior club come the start of the season. I'm just looking forward to having some time off to brush up on my golf skills!"

A poor run towards the end of the season saw the Crombie Park club finish the season in third place – ten points behind champions Banks o'Dee.

Despite the poor end to his reign at the club, Gray says he will depart with fond memories.

He added: "I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Culter. It is an excellent club and I have nothing but fond memories of the place. Even at this level it is a results driven business and last season was the poorest season we have had for a long time.

"Admittedly, we were in the process of a rebuilding job and we had a lot of injuries throughout the season so it was perhaps not as bad as it seemed. It would have been great to leave with a trophy but it wasn't to be. But I am very proud of what I achieved at the club over the years. It is a club full of good people and I have no doubt it will continue to do well."

The club's president Doug Jamieson said Gray's assistants Gary Thow and Andy Gibson would take charge at the club.

Jamieson paid tribute to the departing Culter boss and said he hoped that Gray would be given a new role at the club.

He told The Piper: "Bobby has confirmed to me that he has stood down from his role as team manager of our club to allow Gary Thow and Andy Gibson to assume the new management roles. This will be ratified at our forthcoming AGM.

"We are still hopeful of retaining him in our club in some capacity but for now he is taking a well earned rest. Bobby has by far the best track record of any manager in junior football in this area over the past couple of decades.

"He joined us in December 1999 when our club was rooted to the bottom of the league. Despite his valiant efforts, the club was relegated and it was Bobby who led the revival plan. History will show that promotion was gained in one season and a huge haul of trophies ensued in future years.

"To win the Superleague for four consecutive years will be Bobby's highlight with Culter and a feat difficult to emulate. We were also the first junior club in this area to be admitted to the Scottish Cup and gained pride for our performances in reaching the third round.

"Bobby was always appreciative of the support he got from the Culter committee and from our main sponsor Doug Milne. He never shirked his responsibilities and it is to his credit that he thought it time for change to allow new management to drive the club forward. He leaves his management position with reputation intact and grateful thanks from all at our club."