Football Season Guide

It has been a summer of significant change at the Broadwood Stadium following a desperately disappointing 2016/17 season. The Bully Wee failed miserably to live up to their title favourites tag and finished second from bottom in the League Two table. It has been summer of huge change with former player and local businessman Norrie Innes appointed Chairman in May. He acted quickly to secure the services of Jim Chapman as manager from Annan Athletic and he has overseen a revolution of his squad during the close season with several regulars leaving the club. The most notable departures were that of midfielder Jon-Paul McGovern and striker Peter MacDonald, who spent the last two months of the season as joint caretaker managers and have joined Elgin City and Stirling Albion respectively. Defender Ewan McNeil rejected the offer of a new deal, to join MacDonald at Stirling Albion whilst wing-back Scott Linton also turned down the offer of a new contract and is set to drop into junior football. The release of first-choice goalkeeper John Gibson was something of a surprise whilst the trio of defender Ross Perry and midfielders Scott McLaughlin and Sean Higgins have all signed for League One Albion Rovers. Chapman has returned to his former club to sign no less than eight players who were all out of contract. He will be absolutely delighted to have brought in outstanding young goalkeeper Blair Currie and has also signed the midfield trio of Barry Cuddihy, Darren Ramsey and Maxwell Wright, who were all mainstays in the Black & Golds' side. He has strengthened the defence with the capture of experienced defender Kevin Nicoll from junior football whilst striker Smart Osadolor is another former Annan player who will bring pace in attack alongside strikers David Goodwillie and David Gormley. Chapman will find expectations in Cumbernauld are higher than they were in Dumfries and Galloway so, given the resources at his disposal, anything less than a play-off challenge will be a disappointment.