Football Season Guide

Albion Rovers have enjoyed their summer after pulling a remarkable escape from relegation last season Kevin Harper somehow guided the Wee Rovers to safety despite taking over a club on a downward spiral. He inherited a squad woefully ill-equipped for League 2 and had to wait until the January transfer window to bring in better players. Performances improved but it took until March to secure his first league victory. They managed to overtake an appalling Berwick Rangers side to secure their Football League status on the penultimate weekend of the season. It was a huge scare for the Cliftonhill outfit and they will be determined to make the most of their reprieve. The first step is securing the services of Harper for the new season and he looks to have a much-stronger squad for the season ahead. The only real losses are those of Motherwell loanees goalkeeper Peter Morrison and striker George Newell, and both were expected. Making midfielder Giuliano Morena’s loan move from Brechin City permanent is a really positive step as are the captures of defender Jordan Stewart and midfielder Scott Roberts, who have plenty of experience at this level. Strikers Declan Byrne and Smart Osadolor made a real impact in the final couple of months of the last campaign and will be hoping to continue where they left-off. Harper still has some work to do in the transfer market and will need to make a couple of additions in attack.