Kilwinning Rangers have announced the capture of a further two players as boss Chris Strain sculpts his squad for the upcoming West of Scotland Premier League campaign.
Right back Tony Coutts, 21, has joined from top-flight rivals Pollok while veteran midfielder Liam McGuinness, 35, returns for a second spell after a season at Kilbirnie where he served as both manager and player.
Both men are at opposite ends of their careers, but Strain is convinced they will be as hungry as each other to succeed at Buffs Park.
He said: “Tony is a player who caught my eye when he played against us.
“He’s a full-back in the modern sense in that he can bomb up and down the line. But what I really like about him is how good he is at the defensive side of the game.
“That is sometimes overlooked these days and Tony will give us good competition in that area of the park.
“At 21 he ticks all the boxes for us in terms of the type of player we’ve been going for.
“He’s at a good age, he can develop and he’ll no doubt be hungry to establish himself here.
“He had a few injuries last year and didn’t play as much as he would have liked so there’s the chance to re-establish himself here.”
The re-signing of McGuinness bucks Strain’s summer transfer policy of targeting talented youngsters.
But he has no doubt that the old stager will have a key role to play in the season ahead.
Strain reckons an ill-fated spell as Kilbirnie boss has re-ignited McGuinness’ love of playing football.
And with fellow experienced midfielder Garry Fleming yet to commit to a new deal, bringing McGuinness aboard could well prove to be a shrewd piece of business.
He said: “When Liam left us he maybe felt it was time to move on from playing but I think he’s realised how much he’s missed it.
“He brings a wealth of experience and he’s been working harder than anyone to stay on top of his fitness over the summer.
“He brings that calmness and composure to the middle of the park and you need that in a relatively young team.”
