Binos in no rush to bolster squad
Stirling Albion manager Stuart McLaren won’t be rushed into new signings as he looks to prioritise quality over quantity.
The Binos boss secured a number of early targets in Stenhousemuir keeper Chris Smith and Warriors skipper Ross McMillan, as well as midfielders Sean Dickson (East Fife) and Jon Paul McGovern (Ayr).
McLaren hoped to have added further new faces by now as he looks to augment his squad for 2015/16 but insists there is still plenty of time to get players in.
Albion return for pre-season training on Tuesday, June 23 and play their first competitive game of the new campaign in the Petrofac Training Cup on July 25.
Only Clyde and Arbroath have been more active in the League 2 transfer market than Stirling this summer, with a number of clubs yet to bring in any new faces.
McLaren said: “It’s simply a case of Martin (Corrigan) and myself continuing to work hard to bring in new players. We are looking to add a couple more – with possibly a loan signing or two on top of that – and are delighted with the business we have done so far.
“We have missed out on one or two players who have chosen to play at a higher level than League 2 but that is just the way of it – you rarely get everything you want.
“The guys we have signed have bought into the project here and are excited by what we are trying to do but it’s understandable that others might not want to drop down.
“We are trying to bring in players who are capable of playing in a division or two higher and that is the key – it’s very much about adding quality to the squad.”
A central defender and a striker would appear to be the priority for the Binos boss, who saw top scorer Gordon Smith turn down the offer of a new contract.
A single shut-out in 36 League 1 games hastened Albion’s relegation and McLaren knows that defensive solidity is vital in the forthcoming campaign.
Most of the clubs in League 2 still harboured play-off hopes going into the last quarter of 2014/15 and it again looks like being a keenly-contested division.
McLaren added: “It’s obvious we must be tighter at the back and we have to take more of the chances that come our way – both of these things let us down last season.
“It looks like being a very competitive league and our aim is to be right up there challenging. It’s too early to make judgments on other teams as the squads are a long way from being finalised – and even that it is about how a group of players gels together.”
Season tickets for 2015/16 remain on sale at the club office at Forthbank, priced £170 for adults, £100 for seniors and students, £50 for U17s and free for U12s. They cover all league games (not cup ties or play-offs) plus the friendlies against Hearts and Oldham on July 14 and July 17.