Dougie MacDuff hasn't had long to lay foundations at Irvine Vics – but he reckons the club is heading in the right direction.
It's been a hectic three weeks since MacDuff was appointed to the hot seat, following a pre-season of managerial turmoil at the Westenders.
Brian McLuckie resigned from the post in June and his replacement Alan Kelly quit after just three days on health grounds.
MacDuff has had to wheel and deal to assemble a squad after inheriting less than a handful of players.
But he's been pleasantly surprised with the quality of player he's managed to bring in ahead of their West of Scotland League Conference A campaign kicking off against Whitletts on Saturday.
Brothers Declan and Ciaran Walsh have caught the eye in pre-season and MacDuff reckons he’s unearthed another cracker in teenager Bradley Watters.
The 17-year-old midfielder was a standout for the Westenders in Saturday’s 3-0 friendly defeat away to Drumchapel United.
MacDuff is now keen to bring the Troon hitkid on board as he continues his rebuild job at Vics Park.
He said: “For a boy so young he showed incredible maturity. He kept things really neat and tidy, playing short passes and never looked flustered.
“He was up against some very experienced players but didn’t look out of place.
“I’m hopeful we can get him to sign but I will take him under my wing for now.”
MacDuff felt his side showed up well against the Drum despite missing a number of players who were self-isolating.
He said: “We lost the first goal just before half-time and while it was a bit backs-to-the-wall in the second half we conceded two goals in the final 15 minutes.
“I’m happy with where we are at the moment. We’ve only had three weeks to put a team together but I feel we are heading in the right direction.”
MacDuff this week added former Celtic youth ace Sean Tidser and ex-Vale of Leven striker Shane Jackson to his squad.
He added: “I’m seeing improvement across the board.
“We’re six weeks behind everyone else and still building a team.
“We will have 17 decent players available on Saturday with a few more hopefully coming in next week.
“Whitletts are a strong side but the aim for us over the next few weeks is to not lose games.”
Defender Lewis Clark and forward Joy Goma have been placed on the transfer list.
Meanwhile, the club are looking for a physio. Anyone interested should email davidloach14@googlemail.com
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