New captain Tam Wallace reckons Rutherglen Glencairn will avoid the drop in their West of Scotland League debut.
The Glens go into the tier-six season facing the prospect of seven sides from the 20-team division being relegated.
Having finished in the relegation places for the axed final West Region Premiership season, the skipper has faith they can keep their spot.
He said: “The new league will be pretty crazy, but I quite like it.
“It’s a daunting prospect with regards to seven teams going down in the first season, especially with so many good teams in that top division.
“I think this year we have recruited well, even though we have lost a few players, and some really top players.
“We have brought in some good players though. You sometimes need players who can grind out results.
“We have lost some flare players but we have brought in extra grit and determination into the team.
“Taking last year, we had a bad run of results that was down to a right bad run of injuries.
“This year, we haven’t set goals, but remaining in the division would be a massive thing for us.
“We are one of the less experienced teams at that level so consolidating is the main aim.
“I am confident of being able to do that.”
Local lad Wallace admits it was a dream to be asked to be captain by boss Willie Harvey, and hopes to put what he has learned from pal Tony Fraser, who passes him the armband, into practice.
“I had always wanted to play for Glencairn at some point in my career,” he added.
“The opportunity came up a couple of years ago when I was playing with Renfrew. It was a no-brainer for me.
“Then to be asked to be captain; I was shocked and massively proud to be honest.
“I car share with Tony, and he takes it really seriously.
“He is very professional in everything he does.
“When we were car sharing at first he used to give me wee tips to get the guys motivated, and I did take that on board towards the end of last season.
“I think that contributed to Willie asking me to take on being captain. He has a lot of experience at the top level of the junior game that I hope I’ve picked up on.”
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