Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
AIRDRIE EYE FRESH FACES
Boss Mccabe seeking ‘eas ton replacement’
Airdrie boss Rhys Mccabe says his squad isn’t a million miles away as they prepare for another season in League One – but he is targeting a replacement for Dylan Easton.
The fledgling player-boss is taking his first steps into management at New Broomfield, and says while he does need to bring in players, it’s not a total squad overhaul that’s needed.
The 29-year-old is pleased to report there are things “in the pipeline” after the club returned for pre-season training on Saturday, but following the exit of Easton – the PFA League One player of the year last term – to join ex-boss Ian Murray at Championship side Raith Rovers, midfield is his main area of concern.
Mccabe, whose signings so far are defender Cammy Ballantyne from Montrose and goalkeeper/ coach David Hutton, said : “We’re not a million miles away, which is good, so hopefully it’s plain sailing for now.
“There are a few things in the pipeline, and we’ll see how it pans out in the next few weeks.
“It’s all good. The good thing is we’re not having to go in and change too much, apart from
Dylan Easton leaving. We’ll need a replacement for Dylan, ideally someone in a midfield position.
“Without giving too much away, there are areas which we’ve identified as ones that we can improve on.
“We had big Jon Afolabi and Brody Paterson who were in on loan, and have returned to their parent club [Celtic] with expired contracts, so they are positions that are going to have to be filled.
“Apart from that, it’s more a case of getting the right person in who fits the way we want to play, rather than ‘let’s bring someone in as we’ve lost a certain player’.
“With the way we want to play and stuff, they’ve got to match a criteria of what we’re looking for in certain positions.”
The Diamonds are gearing up for competitive action kicking off on July 9 when they travel to Cowdenbeath in the opening game of their Premier Sports League Cup group. A League One opener away to Peterhead on July 30 is also on the horizon.
Mccabe added: “We’ve signed up a lot of the boys from last season, which is obviously a big bonus, considering the form and how well we played last season.
“To have that core and bulk of the squad there, who are familiar with how we want to play and stuff, is a big added bonus. It’s just looking forward to it, now.”