Paul Kellington is almost eight months into the toughest job in Junior football — but only now does he feel he has a team to call his own.
Kellington inherited an on-the-park shambles when he took the reins at Ardeer Thistle in January, barely able to field a team in the early weeks of his tenure.
He tried to steady the ship with a rush of signings from the youth and amateur ranks but was unable to stop Thistle sliding to the foot of League Two.
Unperturbed, he and No2 Jim Catterson threw themselves into months of scouting.
The result of that endeavour is a squad of 23 players he believes can rid Ardeer of their whipping boys’ tag.
He said: “Jim and I knew when we came in that there was no quick-fix. The aim was to see out the season and start again.
“It’s been a hectic period but I’m delighted with the boys we’ve brought in. By and large, we got who we wanted and I feel we can improve on last term.
“We’d like to think we can cut out the heavy defeats we had last season at the very least.
“I think mid-table is achievable but a nice goal for us would be to finish the best of the Ayrshire teams in the division.
“Some of the players are more confident and think we can be up there challenging but that would be a big ask.”
Kellington will be expecting big things from former Irvine Meadow and Saltcoats striker Joe Young, who is a proven goalscorer at this level.
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