MIDFIELDER PAUL JOINS BINOS GANG

Stirling Albion’s busy summer of rebuilding continued this week as midfielder Paul Willis became their 10th new recruit.

The 27-year-old moves to Forthbank from Peterhead, who he joined from Berwick Rangers midway through last season. Blue Toon boss Jim McInally was keen to keep the former Dunfermline Athletic man at Balmoor but Binos boss Kevin Rutkiewicz has managed to lure the attack-minded player south.

Willis was used mainly as a substitute during his spell at Peterhead but has undoubted talent and his ability to both create and score goals should give Stirling an added dimension.

His arrival follows the weekend unveiling of former St Johnstone and Edinburgh City centre-half Gareth Rodger and Albion now have 18 firstteam players signed up for 2019/20. Lewis Hawke (Queen’s Park), Jordan Lowdon (Elgin City), Paul McLean (Brechin City), James Creaney (Annan Athletic), David Wilson (Annan Athletic), Blair Currie (Clyde), Kevin Nicoll (Clyde) and Josh Peters (Queen’s Park) are the other new boys.

The majority of the squad were due to start pre-season training last night (Thursday) with the opening Betfred Cup game against Hibernian at Forthbank now just four weeks away.

The Binos will play Cambusbarron Rovers in a charity match on Friday, June 28, and are likely to have another couple of friendly games before taking on Hibs, Arbroath, Alloa and Elgin City in Betfred Cup Group C next month.

Rutkiewicz reckons Willis, who scored eight goals last season, will offer something different.

He said: “Paul’s a player who has been on our radar for a while and one we believe will give us ingredients we have been short of.

“He joins a group of players who have all shown that same kind of passion and drive to join our club on its exciting new journey.”

Tennis star Andy Murray says he hopes to be back in singles action later this year. The former world No.1 – who will play doubles at The Queen’s Club in the Fever-Tree Championships with Spain’s Feliciano Lopez next week – said he felt good at the moment and was optimistic about a return to the singles circuit “I don’t know when exactly. I’ll just keep doing the right stuff,”said the Dunblane ace. “Doubles is a middle ground between what I have been doing and getting on the singles court, so hopefully things keep progressing the right direction and maybe later this year I’ll get there.” Big brother Jamie’s first match with new partner Neal Skupski ended in a win at the Libema Open in Hertogenbosch, Holland. He ended his successful partnership with Brazilian Bruno Soares after the French Open to pair up with the 29 year-old Liverpudlian, who previously played alongside his older brother Ken. The opening match for the thirdseeded pair against Chilean team Cristian Garin and Nicolas Jarry saw the British duo win the first set 7-5 before losing the second set 6-3 to take the match to a tie break which they won 10-7. Stirling University’s Maia Lumsden won her first-ever WTA match on Wednesday in the first round of Nottingham’s Nature Valley Open when she beat fellow Brit Tara Moore 6-3 7-6. Former Beaconhurst scholar Lumsden recorded the first ever main draw win by a GB university player at a WTA event and was due to play top seed Caroline Garcia in the second round yesterday. The 21 year-old said:“To get the win in my first WTA match is a great feeling.”

New man Paul Willis in action for Berwick last season against Albion’s Kevin Moon