Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Holmes to bring sting from Wasps
Alloa veteran’s seasons of success will help Rovers
Graeme Holmes has bought into Brian Kerr’s Albion Rovers revolution as he looks to find his home at Cliftonhill.
The midfielder was among the first set of players to sign for the manager.
Holmes enjoyed promotions from League Two and League One during his six seasons at Alloa and narrowly missed out on promotion with the Wasps last season after play-off final heartbreak.
Holmes was appointed Alloa captain at the beginning of the last campaign by former gaffer Jack Ross and made over 200 appearances for the club.
The 33-year-old admits he still holds a strong affinity for the club and was heartbroken to leave the Wasps.
He was disappointed not to be able to take the side over the finish line and secure a Championship return at the first time of asking, but will now look to help a rising Rovers achieve a similar feat.
He told the Advertiser: “I had been with Alloa for a very long time and was sad to leave the club but the manager was very positive about the future of Rovers.
“I had my fair share of success at Alloa and I loved my time there.
“We managed to get promoted to the Championship and that was a real achievement that not a lot of people would have seen coming.
“Last season we started so brightly under Jack Ross to bounce back from relegation but we just couldn’t get over the line in the end.
“That is obviously disappointing, for me to end my time at the club that way, but I’m sure they will be up there again this season.
“For me the focus is Rovers and aiming as high as we can.
“I don’t want to set a minimum or a maximum target. In the early part of the season we will just concentrate on getting points on the board and seeing where that takes us.
“Everything seems positive just now at Rovers.”
He said Kerr was a big factor in signing with the club, having played at the top level in Scotland as well as earning an international cap.
“He has had an excellent career and is keen to build for the future and that was a real attraction for me,” continued Holmes.
“I had been speaking to Jason Marr, who was my teammate at Alloa, and I knew how talented he was from his years there. He had offers to move to other clubs in higher leagues.
“It is Brian’s first job but he is clearly very ambitious and that came across.
“There is no point in coming into a club and being negative.
“He told me how he wanted to play football and that definitely played a role.
“He has given us something to strive for and that is the right approach.”
Holmes is looking ahead to helping out some of the young players in the squad, who he believes will play a bigger role next term with former under-20 boss Kerr at the helm.
He joked: “I guess I’m not one of the young boys any more.
“Brian has talked about some of the great young players at the club and I’ll help out any way that I can.
“Hopefully I can help some of these young guys kick on.”
Holmes can’t wait to get back to playing, but has not set any personal targets for the campaign ahead of the start of pre-season training this Saturday.
“I’ve had a decent amount of success in the lower leagues and hopefully I can keep that going,” he said.
“For me this season is just about enjoying my football.
“I want to play in a positive way and help the team as best I can.
“I’ve not really set any personal targets but if I can play as many games as possible and have an influence on the team it will be a good season.
“For me it’s about going out there and enjoying it.”
Brian Kerr was delighted with the capture and sang the praises of Graeme, adding: “I know he is a player a lot of clubs were looking at.
“These are the kinds of experienced players you want to bring in at this level
“He knows what it takes to do well in League One.”