Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
THINKING BIG New boy says Diamonds must feed off glory days of old
Kieran Millar reckons he has joined the biggest part-time team in Scotland after signing up at Airdrieonians.
The 24-year-old made the switch to the Diamonds from East Fife last week after being sold on manager Stephen Findlay’s Excelsior Stadium project.
The Broomfield men can boast a history of competing against the top teams in Scotland and reaching cup finals, and despite a seventh place finish in League One last term Millar insists the club is a sleeping giant.
“I feel like I have joined a big team,” he told the Advertiser.
“When you look at it, Airdrie probably are the biggest part-time team in the country.
“They are a club with a lot of history. They have played at the top level of Scottish football, got to finals. It feels to me like a good time to be joining. Stevie really sold me on the project.
“They went through a bit of a sticky patch at the start of last season, financially and on the park.
“They now have the stability, not just for this season but are looking forward to the next three to five years. The foundations are in place.”
Millar, who picked up the Player of the Year award at Bayview last year, is immediately targeting a top four finish next season.
The line-up for next years League One has been confirmed after Alloa sealed promotion and concluded the play-off ties .Full-time Raith, relegated Dumbarton and last season’s fourth-placed outfit Arbroath will all be competing in League One – with the addition of promoted League Two sides Montrose and Stenhousemuir.
The ambitious midfielder admits the Kirkcaldy side will be the bookies’ pick to finish top but doesn’t see any reason why the New Broomfield men cannot challenge.
“For a club like this we have to be looking at the top four as a minimum,” he said.
“The full-time team will obviously come in as favourites.
“Generally they have more money and bigger squads, but for me playing against Ayr and Raith last season at East Fife, we competed well as a part-time team.
“We need to make sure we are more consistent than the other teams.”