Gartcairn boss Mick Dunlop has signed brother Ross as part of a signing spree at MTC Park over the past week – and the gaffer is keen to add further reinforcements.
Defender Ross joins his elder brother once again, having both played at Albion Rovers together a few years ago.
Former Airdrie left-back Paddy Boyle also comes in as player/assistant manager from Dumbarton.
Midfielder Liam Watt has also been brought in from East Kilbride, as well as midfielder Connor Smith and defender Adam Moss from his previous club, Broomhill.
Dunlop says he already had a good number of players who had signed on for next season, but wanted to make sure they were happy to stay following the departure of predecessor Willie Kinniburgh.
He said: “It’s all going well. When you first came in I think we had 11 or 12 players that were re-signed for the coming season so I had to speak to these guys first and see what their thoughts are.
“When a new manager comes in, they’ve signed for the previous manager and might not want to stay, and all these sorts of things.
“Once we got that sorted out it allowed us to focus on the players that I was looking to bring in, that would help the group and strengthen us.
“We’ve managed to do that so far.
“My brother Ross is coming in, as is Liam Watt, who was at East Fife and finished the last half of the season at East Kilbride in the Lowland League, so those two will be massive signings.
“We’ve also brought in Paddy Boyle from Dumbarton, who is going to be a player/assistant manager.
“Adam Moss and Connor Smith have good Lowland League experience and are younger players.
“So far, so good, I’m really happy with where we’re at.
“The first league game is on July 30, so there’s still plenty of time and we are speaking to other targets, but all in all I’m relatively comfortable with where we’re at at this stage.”
Pre-season starts back on June 16, and Dunlop says between now and then he’ll be looking to strengthen in certain areas.
He added: “These things can take time, because for some players their seasons are just finishing, so they want to hold off, which is understandable.
“They’ve maybe got one or two offers from other teams and want a bit of time to weigh it up.
“I think it’s about taking your time with it and making sure you’re getting the right player and not rushing into it.
“We need to improve the squad, or there’s no point in doing it.”
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