Threave Rovers boss Vinnie Parker is aiming to strengthen links with the club’s youth development arm.
The Meadow Park gaffer is keen to bring through more talent from Castle Douglas and the surrounding area and give them a chance to shine in the West of Scotland League.
He said: “Our connection with the youths is improving all the time, although I’d like to work a lot more on that.
“The work that goes on with the youths is remarkable. They’ve got a lot of really good coaches and a lot of committed boys.
“They’re always mindful of trying to bridge the gap from under-17s, who have nowhere in the area to go, which I always thought was a problem.
“They put out a Sunday amateur team and are sending boys to us on a Monday and I think there’s also talk at looking at the Lowland League’s under-20s. They’re always looking at ideas and I really appreciate that.
“Everybody likes seeing local kids playing for local teams. We have Alex Henderson, who is a remarkable footballer and a Castle Douglas boy.
“You only have to come to the game on a Saturday to hear people on the sidelines who support him and love him doing well.
“If we can get the best of local talent coming through it’s only going to further the connection with the town and maybe get a few more people through the gate.”
Threave swapped the South of Scotland League to the fourth tier of the West of Scotland – a drop of four steps in the Scottish football pyramid.
Things started off well in the Castle Douglas side’s new home but at the winter break they found themselves third, nine points behind West Park United who have played a game more. Kilsyth Athletic, who have played two more games than Threave, are a further six points ahead.
Parker said: “I think because of the restructure the fourth division is a million times harder than anyone expected it to be.
“There’s a lot of good games with good set ups and teams play really good football. They are well organised and coached and there are a lot of experienced managers in the league as well.
“The first Rossvale result probably put us into a false sense of security. We won 9-0 and people, myself included, probably thought it wasn’t going to be as challenging as we’d thought.
“We let our guard down and got punched in the face by the likes of West Park and Kilsyth.
“As a whole, it’s completely different football compared to the Lowland and the South. I think you get good value for money if you come and watch the games.
“Even when we play teams a few leagues above us, we’re competing and you get a bit of everything - good football, the odd red card, the odd flare up. It’s entertaining to watch.”
Despite trailing the top two sides, Parker is still hopeful his side can gain promotion in 2023, with the side returning to action against Easterhouse on January 7.
He added: “We’ve still got teams to play we haven’t played yet. We’ve not played BSC or Easterhouse while Harmony Row and Kilsyth were called off so by the time we catch up on our games you’re going to see a different picture.
“Promotion was the goal at the start of the season and that remains the case.”
