Brian McLuckie insists Irvine Vics can be the perfect safety net for talented youngsters forced to drop into non-league football.
The Westenders gaffer is looking to boost his squad with fresh talent ahead of a debut season in the West of Scotland Conferences.
But he admits he’s biding his time to see what players become available as the whole of Scottish football feels the financial effects of the Covid pandemic.
And he reckons any youngsters who slip the net could do worse than turn to Vics to kickstart their careers.
McLuckie said: “There’s going to be a lot of young players who will sadly have to make the decision to drop down a level or two.
“I was reading an interesting article the other day by the Hamilton manager Brian Rice.
“He made the point that with the English season just ending, there will be a lot of available players there who will end up in Scotland.
“That will have a cascading effect on all our senior leagues and we will, in effect, end up with too many players.
“From our perspective, we’ll be looking to catch any young players who are maybe left struggling for a club.
“I’ve spoken to a few who still have expectations of staying senior or playing in the Premier League at our level.
“But in my opinion, they’d be better off coming to a club like ours where, if they work hard, they will be playing regularly and gaining invaluable experience.
“In my time here, we’ve had a good record of giving youngsters a platform to go on to bigger and better things.
“Ross McKenzie and Hamish McKinlay both moved on to the Premier League and Gabe Skeoch won a new contract at Ayr.
“I’d definitely say to any young player out there looking for a club to give us a shout.”
Vics are set to resume training on August 12 as they work towards the seasons hopefully kicking off in late September, early October.
