Ritchie Maxwell has insisted the club’s position in the Lowland League had nothing to do with calling for the season to be halted.
The Islecroft boss was one of the first to suggest the season should be paused last week, with the club writing to Lowland League bosses and cancelling training sessions for safety reasons.
With Star third bottom of the table, there were some accusations that was the real motivation behind the plea – but Maxwell said that wasn’t the case.
He said: “It has got nothing to do with league position.
“It’s got everything to do with health, not just of the people involved with the clubs but also your communities as well.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting third bottom or third top, the risk to health is the same.
“We were just looking for a pause of two or three weeks to see what the situation is like at that point and then resume.
“We’ve got plenty of time left where we could be playing two games a week.
“We could be in a position where we’re playing Saturday, Wednesday for the rest of the season. I don’t think anyone would have any issue with that but only when it’s safe to do so.
“I think we should be proud of ourselves as a club that we’re the ones that have been willing to put our head above the parapet and stand up for what we believe in.”
The SFA took the decision out of the Lowland League’s hands by calling a pause on Monday afternoon.
But Star’s call for a suspension had generated plenty of publicity, with the club mentioned in a question directed to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during one of her daily briefings.
Maxwell added: “It’s not that you want to be in the limelight.
“You’d rather be getting phone calls and a bit of press because you’re doing something well on the football pitch. “
