Paul Martin

The transfer window may have come and gone without us adding to our pool of players, but league rules allow us emergency loans at this stage of the season, and we still aim to augment our squad before too long.

It is my intention to have at least three new players by the time we play East Stirling at home on the 13th of February. A young Dunfermline player will be joining us once the Pars participation in the Cup is over, and I am in talks with two other clubs regarding three additional players. One of the players in question, Lee Hoolican, did very well on Monday night in our bounce game against Petershill. Geographically the deal is problematic, but both parties are willing and I remain hopeful that we can sign Lee until the end of the season.

The boys did well on Monday to beat a strong Petershill side 5-1. Absent on the night were Paul Tyrrell, Ciaran Donnelly, Chris Boyle, David McFarlane, Jamie Ewings (our short term injuries!) and Marc Pollock and Todd (our long term injuries!).

Our middle to front play was nevertheless outstanding. All five goals were of a decent standard but the first (an unstoppable Mark McCusker shot from 12 yards after a typically rampaging run) and the last (a bullet header from Jamie Gilmartin, the young lad from Drumchapel who knocked us back pre-season but has played in most of our bounce games) were superb.

Given that we had seven players unavailable, such a comprehensive victory over a Junior Super League side suggests that we have fairly decent strength in depth. However, with all the games coming up in February and March, we will need to add players of the right quality to allow us to rotate the squad a little going onto the Saturday/Tuesday/Saturday cycle of games.

We will not be bringing any new strikers in. I believe there are goals in the four front men currently on our books, and I do not think there is anyone affordable out there better than the strikers we have.

More news soon.

Paul Martin

A Happy New Year to you all.

The festive season is traditionally a very difficult time for part-time players. Having games on both Boxing Day and the 2nd of January normally means that the festivities are curtailed a little bit. This year the Boxing day match was off early so the boys at least had a Christmas Day without worrying too much about what they ate or drank! The late postponement of the game at Hampden, however, meant that there was no opportunity for them to fully enjoy the Hogmanay/New Year celebrations.

We have now had five successive matches postponed and I am sure, given the current arctic conditions, that the count will not stop there! Last year we had three matches off around Christmas, but five is unprecedented in my career as a player or manager. Given the long-range forecast, we have taken a long term view on fitness and we have been able to get a number of two hour pre-season-type fitness sessions done at Soccerworld in Queenslie, thereby topping up our base fitness. The sessions have also helped Chris Boyle, Mark Canning, Steven McKeown and Mark McCusker to get back to some level of fitness after their injuries. Todd is also now taking part in ninety per cent of the sessions, and the only player currently absent from our sessions is David McFarlane, who we would hope to have back in training within a couple of weeks.

We started the season with 22 signed players. Given the run of injuries we have had, this has certainly been one of the main reasons we have been able to keep ourselves challenging at the right end of the table. Hopefully, with the squad back to full numbers (Bobby Barr excluded - more on him later!) we can get back up into a top-four spot. As regards our two loan players, Adam has gone to Clyde and David will shortly be returning to Ayr. I currently don’t know Ayr's thoughts on where David’s future lies, but I have a very high regard for him as a player and believe he would be an asset to any Second or Third Division side.

Bobby Barr will sign for Livingston. While it ended acrimoniously for me with Bobby, I wish him well. That said, I am disappointed that there has been no apology forthcoming from him after all the club and myself have done for him. I believe that we deserve credit for our handling of this situation, throughout which we have acted professionally and in the best interests of the player. It has always been our aim to get Bobby back to full-time football and we are delighted that has now been achieved - albeit not in the way any of us would have wished.

It is always difficult when you sell a player to a competitor, but we believe that the move was in the best interests of the player and we have therefore not been hard to deal with. We should remember, too, the many outstanding and match-winning performances Bobby produced for us in the middle of last season. When the wee guy was hot, he was hot, and I would hope that the fans will remember him for the good times he gave us!

That leaves us with 21 signed players, certainly a better base than we had this time last year, when we ended January with just 18 players. I will be adding to the squad in January, and departures can’t be ruled out. Getting a better balance in the squad for the rigours of March will be important to our progress. We currently have four players training with us: Paul McLeod (formerly Hamilton and Dumbarton), Phil McGrath (Dundee United and Stranraer), Ryan Thomson (a young player from Dunfermline who we have a chance of taking on loan) and a young lad from Ardrossan Winton Rovers whose name I would rather not disclose at the moment.

I have also enquired about a goalscoring midfielder from the Second Division, and am considering making a bid for a wide midfielder from the Juniors. While I consider that with all our players fit we have as good a squad as anyone in the Division 3, it is important that we maintain competition for places, something I believe will be key to our success over the remainder of the season.

Finding training facilities has been difficult and we are indebted to places like Soccerworld. Our training times are however very random at the moment. Next week, for example, we have start times of 9.30pm and 9.15pm on Tuesday and Thursday. The players have adapted well to these difficult circumstances and I am confident that when we emerge from the big freeze we will be as fit and prepared as anyone out there!

Our next game will, in my opinion, either be on the 20th of January (against Stirling) or the 23rd of January (against Forfar). It would require a thaw of epic proportions for the cup tie to go ahead on the 12th of January and the Livingston game to take place on the 16th of January, but let’s hope it arrives and we can get back to playing sooner rather than later!!

Paul Martin

Editor notes - Paul wrote this on Monday 26th but due to my hols it's just now being posted!

What a great game football is! You get a little bit of success and everyone wants to jump on your bandwagon and take a little ray of your sunshine! Funny, but when we went 13 games without a win at the end of last year, no one attempted to suntan themselves on our failure! Last season’s losing run was a horrible experience for all concerned - the players, the board, the fans and myself. It was a real test of character for the players, and those who are still with us can take great credit for having learned from the experience and having bounced back all the stronger.

There are several people (not all of whom are still with the club) who can lay claim to some credit for our current success, but none of them have self- inflated egos! First and foremost, there is our chairman. Frank and his fellow board members have skillfully steered the club through financially troubled waters, and our results both on and off the pitch show that Frank’s business model is working. The budget may not have improved since the "five year plan" was first implemented, but off the field Frank and the board have gone to great lengths to ensure the players have the best of kit for matches and for training. Frank works tirelessly to support me in my efforts to get it right off the pitch, something the players appreciate it more than you would think.

Another person who deserves credit is John ‘Cowboy’ McCormack. A number of players at the club were signed by Cowboy, but you don't hear him shouting from the rooftops about it. When he was out of the game it would have been very easy for him to go to the papers and improve his chances of getting a job by hitching himself to our bandwagon, but he didn't. Cowboy just goes about his business, and I for one am glad to see that Clyde’s results have improved since he arrived there!

Someone else who has disappeared from the Rovers scene is Paddy Connolly, but he is still having a positive impact on the club. Paddy has been constantly watching teams and individual players on my behalf. This may prove more difficult now that he is scouting for Fulham, but Paddy’s excellent footballing knowledge provides us with a great resource pool.

Robert Watt is constantly at games looking to identify future Rovers signings. A number of players in our current squad arrived at Cliftonhill thanks to Robert, whose knowledge of under 21 football is second to none. I can’t get to as many games as I would like due to work and family commitments, so Robert’s contribution is invaluable.

These guys seek neither fame or fortune, but they all deserve recognition for the key role they have played in our club’s progress.

Our squad, while deeper and stronger this season, is looking a little stretched due to the continual stream of injuries and illness that have beset us since the season began. You may therefore be surprised to learn that I have allowed Brendan Crozier to go to Bellshill Athletic on loan for a month. After our 3-1 win against Bellshill last week, I had a discussion with Brendan to establish how best to get him back to the level he is capable of. Brendan felt that going out on loan for a spell would give him the match practice he requires. And the good progress shown by young Terry Dignam and Jamie O'Boyle, plus the return to training this week of both Ciaran Donnelly and Marc McCusker, certainly softens the blow.

Todd, meanwhile, is showing good progress and is just a fortnight away from getting his boot off. His rehabilitation will be long and hard but we would hope to see him back sometime in January. David McFarlane will miss out this weekend but we are hopeful that he will be fit for the following Saturday. Michael McGowan, Alan Benton, Danny Ferry and Mark Canning didn't train last night, but they are all expected to be fit for Saturday.

We have organised a few bounce games for November. We play Lanark United on Monday 2 November at St. Andrews (8:10 pm kick off) and we face Pollok at the same venue on 23 November. With a number of our players returning after injury it is important that we do our best to maintain match fitness throughout the squad. These games will also give us the opportunity to have a look at a few trialists.

I was delighted with our performance last weekend at Lossiemouth. Scottish Cup shocks tend to share certain characteristics and when we arrived at Lossiemouth to see a pitch with a big slope that hadn't been rolled in a while amidst a howling gale and driving rain, I certainly recognised the potential for a cup upset. The conditions were certainly a bit of a leveller, particularly in the first half when we struggled to harness the wind advantage; but playing uphill and into the wind in the second half we produced some great football and ran out deserved winners. Lossiemouth, for their part, gave their manager everything and they can be very proud of their efforts. Although a couple of unsavoury incidents during the match were disappointingly not dealt with, I was delighted with how we handled the day. The fact that Derek had only one save to make is testimony to how well we played as a team.

As far as the next round is concerned, I would be happy with a home draw against anyone. We have been to the highlands three times already on cup duty this season and a home draw would be a nice reward for our endeavours. But regardless of who we face, we will be looking to progress. This will our third attempt at getting through the third round in the last three years, and if we are to continue our onfield progress we must be looking to push through this barrier and get to the fourth round. Allied with our progress in the other cup competitions, this would represent a decent effort in the cups this year.

We are back on league duty at Berwick this week. Jimmy Crease’s side are a bit like us in that they have retained the nucleus of their side from last year and added good quality in the right areas of their team. Berwick also now have greater strength in depth and will, in my opinion, be a team seriously challenging for the top prize this year. Their draw a couple of weeks ago against Livingston and their comeback victory against Civil Service Strollers backs this assessment up. There is no question that we will need to produce a very positive performance to secure anything on Saturday, but I am confident that we can do so.

Paul Martin

Very rarely does pre season form translate into early season success. Happily, however, our encouraging pre season displays proved not to be a false dawn, as evidenced by our Cup victories over Division 1 opposition and a very positive start to our league campaign which saw us notch up two home victories and one draw away from home.

Wins in Cup competitions are always a bonus at the Rovers - particularly in the Co-op Cup, where you often find yourself up against a seeded team from a higher division! Ironically, of course, when we first played Livingston they were still a Division 1 side. Four weeks on, they were a Third Division side. More on Livi later.

We showed in the first two cup matches that we can mix it with higher division opposition and survive. This has given us the confidence to go into our league games fearing no one. We were well worth a draw (at the very least) at Stranraer and in our home wins we performed well under very difficult conditions.

The wind in both matches was extreme and made it difficult to play the type of football we aim to produce. However, what the players did do fantastically well on both occasions was to use the conditions to our advantage. This was a big step forward for us. Last year we were unable to adapt our style of play to adverse conditions. As a result, we failed to play enough of the percentages and ended up losing matches we should have won. On that particular front, so far so good!

Our Cup runs both came to an end in the Highlands, but I was not too disappointed with the performances. We did enough in the first half at Elgin to be secure in the game, but our inability to capitalise on our chances ultimately cost us. Derek Gaston had virtually only three touches on the night: unfortunately, all three were to pick the ball out of the net. The Elgin goalie, by contrast, had a number of outstanding saves: none more so than when we were 1-nil down and down to ten men, and he somehow got to Marc McCusker’s point blank header. The mistakes we made to concede the goals were poor, but they did come at a time when we had to throw caution, quite literally, to the wind!

While our defeat at Inverness was disappointing in terms of the result, our overall performance was pleasing. Once again we made defensive errors, our middle four included, but the confidence we showed in possession gave me great heart. As a result I was not too downhearted after the game. We caused a strong Inverness side problems when we were in possession. What we failed to do was capitalise on the numerous chances we created, but the players and the fans surely deserved at least one goal for their efforts.

Our win against Livingston was one of my best ever victories as a manager. Livi were a much changed side from the outfit we had outplayed so comprehensively four weeks earlier. Their style of play was much more pragmatic and it seems they are learning to adapt to life in the Third Division. Facing a full time side is difficult enough, but when you take into account that our boys didn’t get to their beds until 4 o'clock on Wednesday morning and were up again early for work, the performance and result were all the more impressive.

What I do not find impressive is the lack of humility from all associated with Livingston. There is clearly friction between them and us, driven mainly by comments that I made prior to the Cup game. It seems there is absolutely no remorse for the club’s previous indebtedness - something I personally find hard to take, given the current economic climate.

No-one at Livingston, it seems, has stopped to consider the consequences of their failure to pay the council, the pie man, the programme printer or indeed any of their creditors, and the negative impact on the lives of those (like the physio who I understand is being offered just a penny in the pound) involved.

The blame, of course, does not lie at the door of the current owners, who inherited the debt. Surely, however, their key aim must be the survival of the football club, rather than spending money chasing a dream of First Division football that was only achieved in the first place through spending in excess of the club’s revenue stream.

Success in football is often achieved by clubs spending more than they can afford. All too frequently, we have seen the dire long-term consequences for the likes of Leeds United and Southampton. Conversely, there is no greater high than achieving success both on and off the field through operating within your financial means. Our revenue stream may mean that success is measured in small increments - winning against higher league opponents, pushing for a play off spot - but rest assured that we are as hungry for success as any other football club.

What we have at Cliftonhill is the security that Albion Rovers are a viable trading concern and that the club’s future (while perhaps not as star spangled as others) is secure. This is down to the financial prudence of the current Rovers board, who know there is always life beyond the next result.

I have been accused by a number of people associated with Livingston of speaking out of turn. It’s none of our business, apparently. I beg to differ. It is the business of every one of us. The financial viability of Scottish football has to be top of the agenda for everyone involved in our national game. If we do not debate and address the relevant issues, we could end up having no clubs to support or coach on a Saturday.

Hopefully, the decision to uphold Livingston’s relegation will mark the end of this saga, and the new regime can set about re-establishing Livingston FC on a more solid financial footing. In that, I wish them well.

Next up for us is a trip north to play Montrose on Saturday. A difficult task, but one I think we are equal too. Montrose have not had the best of starts, but they are a much better side than their current league position suggests. We will need to put in a strong performance if we are to return home with any points but having had the weekend off, we are looking forward to the challenge.

I have really enjoyed the season so far. The players work ethic in training has been excellent and the impact of the new management team of Todd, Danny and Darren has been enormous. Added to that, John McMenamy continues to do sterling work behind the scenes. The work that he has done with Jamie, Ciaran and Marc in recent weeks has been outstanding and their current availability and fitness levels is down to his rehabilitation programmes.

Finally, the fans support in the first month has been excellent. It was heartwarming to hear the encouragement the players got when we were 4-nil down at Inverness. This is what in my opinion sets Rovers fans apart. They are able to put a positive spin on anything. Perhaps Gordon Brown will be on the phone to Eddie Hagerty and the boys soon, looking for a few tips!

Paul Martin

We have made a fantastic start to the season, beating two Division 1 sides in the respective cup competitions. The fitness, spirit and ability the boys have shown in these games gives us great confidence for the league campaign ahead.

Against Ayr, our passing wasn’t as good as it could have been in the first half, but we were nevertheless able to limit Ayr to very few goalscoring opportunities. In the second half, however, we played a lot better and in the last twenty minutes we could really have embarrassed our Division 1 opponents. It was great to win - particularly as their manager reckoned they should be taking a few goals off teams like Albion Rovers. To do that, however, you have to earn the right!

Last week we were a sideshow to the main story, the ongoing saga of Livingston FC. I was upset by that because, through no fault of our own, we didn’t know until Thursday night that the game was going ahead. Hardly ideal preparation for us, but I feel the players responded very well to a difficult situation.

We all have sympathy for the Livingston players and their fans. But the simple fact is that the game should not have gone ahead. Livingston are hopelessly insolvent, and earned their place in Division 1 last year through a playing budget outwith their means. This is nothing more than financial doping. I am sure the fact that we played so well and won through in the end was a surprise to both Livingston and the onlooking press, who no doubt felt we should have been nothing more than cannon fodder for them - but as mentioned previously, you have to earn the right.

This particular saga is now hopefully at an end, but I do think the SFL needs to take a more stringent approach to the financial running of clubs in future to ensure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.

Tomorrow sees the start of our league campaign. We have shown we can compete with full time teams in one-off games. But can we put in sustained performances over 36 games to get us challenging at the top? I think that we can. We have as good a squad as we have ever had, and have managed to get results despite being without Todd, Ciaran, Jamie and Marc Pollock. Think back to March when we were right on the fringes of the play offs: a couple of injuries and suspensions and we ended up having an almighty collapse. This time around, we are better equipped to handle injuries and suspensions. That said, I wouldn’t like to have any more guys out long term!!

This season’s Third Division is a difficult to call as it has been for many years. Forfar have significantly strengthened their squad and are the bookies’ favourites. Like last season, however, I don’t think there will be a runaway winner. Every team will feel they have a chance of becoming champions, including ourselves, but it will it will take an enormous effort, immense concentration and more than a slice of luck to achieve that. Here’s hoping that it’s our year.

On the player front, Jamie Gilmartin has decided he would rather spend another year in Under 21 football, where he can get a regular game; and David Fry, who has been training with us, has decided that junior football is more attractive than the senior game! I am still looking at a number of other Under 21 players, but it is very frustrating when some youngsters have such a poor attitude to coming in and learning the game at senior level.

In my opinion you must strive as a footballer to play at the highest possible level. If you get the opportunity to play for a senior club you should grab it - it is, after all, the only real place to play football.

Paul Martin

Well, that's another pre-season over. It's at this time of year that every manager thinks his team is the one to beat. The problem is that no manager has any real evidence to base that on. All friendlies are fake to a degree. No manager really knows how his players will face up to the pressure of, say, winning a header in the box in the last minute to secure a victory, or taking a chance when clean through in injury time to secure a vital away win, until the competitive action begins.

We will not really know how we are as a team until we get through the first quarter in the league. Tomorrow we get an opportunity to play in a match that gives us an opportunity to progress to the next round of a national cup competition, but we could not have asked for a harder task than Ayr away. Ayr were unbeaten at home in the league for the whole of last year: no mean feat when you consider how we struggled at home last season. They are a very good footballing side. They have quality midfielders in Ryan Stevenson and Chris Aitken, and their strikers Mark Roberts and Brian Prunty need only one chance to get on the scoresheet.

We should not be afraid, though. Yes, they are two divisions above us. But we must believe that if we play to our capabilities we can make a real game of it. We need to show no fear. We need to go out and play attacking football. We need to avoid the mistakes that will be punished at this level. We need to do the jobs that have been assigned to us. We need to show belief in ourselves. And if we can do all that, we will give ourselves a chance.

We have added three players to our squad in the last week. David McFarlane returns to the club after a couple of years away, and will be a first class addition to our squad. He is very experienced and in the last week has shown that he will bring exceptional quality to our front line. It was important that we managed to get David as Marc McCusker is still some way away from starting a match, and Marc Pollock will be unavailable for the next two games. Until David signed, we really only had one striker, Pat Walker, going into tomorrow's match. That said, I felt at times on Monday that Pat and David played like a real strike pairing should, working together both when we had the ball and when we didn't. I am looking forward to seeing them play together this year.

I am also absolutely delighted that Ciaran Donnelly has re-signed. Ciaran was deservedly the players' player of the year last season and would have been an asset to any 2nd or 3rd division club. He is looking extremely fit and I am hoping this will be the year he gets his move back to full time football.

Finally, we have signed a young lad from Drumchapel Amateurs called Jamie Gilmartin. Jamie may be young but his physical stature belies his youthful appearance. He has a long way to go to be a regular first team player, but I am looking forward to the opportunity of working with him.

In terms of experienced players that really will be it, but we will be signing some younger players in the coming weeks. This will give us the biggest pool we have had in a number of years .The boys who come from Under 21 football tend to find it difficult to get up to the tempo of the senior game, both physically and mentally. However, after a year's exposure to senior football they have a better chance of becoming successful senior players. This may mean, in some instances, signing players then loaning them out . However, the youngsters will continue to train as part of our squad, with the ultimate aim of them becoming the next Michael McGowan or Alan Reid or Bobby Barr. Continuity is vitally important, and is something we have struggled to achieve in recent times. Hopefully, these young players will give us the solid base we are looking for next season.

I know a few of you are going tomorrow. I would like to thank you in advance for your support. I hope we can give you a positive start and, ultimately, a season to remember!

Paul Martin

The bounce game on Saturday followed a very stiff morning session and I was delighted with what turned out to be a very worthwhile exercise. I aim to have us at peak fitness by 25 July, so we will follow the same routine before we play Alloa next Saturday.

On the squad front, Paul Stewart has signed from Montrose. Paul impressed against us last season with his enthusiasm and commitment. Add to that his good technical ability and experience in a number of positions, and it was an easy decision to offer Paul a contract. So far he has been a pleasure to work with, and I am sure his infectious enthusiasm will rub off on a few others.

Alan Reid will put pen to paper later this week, while Michael McGowan returns from holiday to begin his pre season schedule. Michael has indicated his desire to attend open trials both down south and abroad. While I have supported him on that, Michael remains an Albion Rovers player until we receive an acceptable offer for him.

Bobby Barr continues to train well. There have been no enquiries whatsoever about Bobby – surprising, given his form of last year. Bobby has been totally professional about the situation. He has got his head down in training and is working towards that first game down at Ayr.

Ciaran Donnelly did the first week of pre season training with us and looks very fit. Ciaran is now on holiday for two weeks but has promised to talk to me on his return.

This week we will be picking up the pre-season tempo a little. We have a session tonight (Monday 29 June) and a bounce game tomorrow night at St Andrews against local amateur team Victoria Park. Our squad tomorrow will be made up mostly of trialists, with at most only one or two signed players in our line-up.

We then have a session on Thursday, followed by the morning session on Saturday prior to the Alloa game.

We currently looking at a number of trialists from various clubs and levels, and are monitoring their progress very closely. So far some look as if they may have something to offer us and I am optimistic that we will be adding to our pool in the coming weeks.

One player who will not be joining us this year is Willie Sawyers. I spoke to Willie in April and offered him a deal, with the offer remaining open until pre-season. Willie told me that he wouldn't be going anywhere on trial, despite the fact that there were a number of clubs after him.

You can imagine my surprise, then, when I picked up the Evening Times last Monday to see Willie pictured alongside John Brown at the Clyde trials. Since we talked in April, Willie has been promoting himself in the papers, using our offer in an attempt to secure a better deal elsewhere. I decided last Tuesday that enough was enough and called Willie to tell him that we would not be pursuing our interest in him.

The fact that he has shown us no respect is very disappointing given that he has no pedigree in the senior game. Willie’s goalscoring record last season was excellent, but it must be remembered that he was playing in the third tier of the junior ranks. The search therefore goes on for a big striker to supplement our current pool.

Paul Martin

It has been a hectic close season so far. When the season ends the players drift off on holiday, but the Chairman and others behind the scenes continue to work hard preparing for next season. As recently as last Saturday, we had supporters up at the club lending a hand in our annual tidy up.

As you know I become a father again recently. Baby Cameron is now four weeks old and seems to be growing daily.
Our squad, too, is growing on a daily basis. We now have 10 players signed .The most recent additions are Todd Lumsden, Michael O'Byrne and Mark Canning. Todd is a terrific addition for us, in both a playing and a coaching sense. I expect Todd to make a big impact both on and off the field this year. Michael and Mark are also great additions. Both had great seasons with Dumbarton but were not offered new deals. They were offered better deals elsewhere, but to their credit wanted to play at the Rovers. I am absolutely delighted to have them.

We also have agreed deals with five others. We are awaiting in most cases their return from holiday (or, in Pat Walker's case his return from his round the world trip). The players in question are the aforementioned Pat Walker, Mark McCusker (who we know well from his loan spell), Derek Gaston, Chris Boyle and Paul Tyrrell.

Derek is a great young goalkeeper who joins us from Baillieston under 21's. He was recommended to me by a fan and has spent the last three months training with the first team. He has great potential but knows he has a lot of hard work ahead of him.

Chris Boyle is a left sided player who I know well from my time at Dumbarton. He has just returned from Australia and will be an outstanding signing for us.

Paul Tyrrell from Stenhousemuir is a player everyone will be familiar with. He would be an asset to any Third Division side and I am pleased that he chose to continue his senior career with Rovers. That gives us 17 players, if you include Michael and Alan, our two under 23's.

We also have one offer outstanding to a junior player who would be a great addition to our squad, and we have a number of trialists coming in to do pre-season on the 22nd of June. Of all the players we approached, we only missed out on one - a young junior player who felt that another year in the juniors would be better for him than playing for the Rovers. It was disappointing, as I believe that his development as a player would have been helped by playing on better surfaces and against better players. That said, I know his manager pretty well and I am sure that he will continue to improve under his coaching.

There have been no offers thus far for Bobby Barr. It has been well documented that Bobby will decide his future on the basis of what options are available to home, but that can only happen if we get an acceptable offer. We have had contact from several clubs, but none have made an offer as yet.

So that's where we are right now. I am off on holiday tomorrow for ten days, and I am happy with our work over the last four weeks. It has been hard, but I feel that we will see the benefit come the 25th of July and beyond.

Paul Martin

This is a difficult time of year for players and managers alike. It might seem that a poor run of results would make it easier to free players, but it never does. A lot of the players not offered deals played an important part in some of the excellent performances earlier this season. Some have been with the club a couple of years now, so it is sad in some ways to see them go, because in the main they have given their all for the club.

We have not offered contracts to Martin McGoldrick, David Scott, Robert Walker, Callan Adam and Ross Harris. We spoke briefly a couple of months ago to Ian Harty about staying, but financially Ian is going to try his luck elsewhere. Robert Walker has been an excellent club captain and a great ambassador for the club, but in discussions with Robert we felt, and he felt, that a change would be good for him.

Goldy is going to sign with Clydebank and we will help David and Cal find new clubs. David in particular is unlucky not to have been offered a new contract, but I felt that at his age he needed to play and he was always going to be No 2 to Jazz. Cal I don't think fulfilled his potential, due to numerous injuries. However I am sure that once he gets back playing regularly, he will be an asset to any team. Ross had an excellent first half to the season, but injuries limited his appearances in the second half of the season. His loss of form and appetite for the game made the decision not to offer him a new deal an easy one.

Currently under contract are Jamie Ewings, Alan Benton, Steven McKeown, Bobby Barr, Marc Pollock, Danny Ferry and Brendan Crozier. Each of the players under contract are under pressure to return to the club on the 22nd of June in good shape.

In Michael McGowan and Alan Reid we have two under-23's who cannot leave without a fee. Both have been offered terms, and I expect both to be in Rovers strips next season. However, if they were to get an opportunity to go full time elsewhere we would not be difficult to deal with. I like to think we are seen as a club that develops younger players.

Ciaran Donnelly has been offered a new deal but wants to wait a little longer before committing to the club. Pat Walker has provisionally agreed to rejoin Rovers next year. We have agreed a deal via e-mail and Pat will sign as soon as he is off the plane on June the 10th.

As regards new signing targets, I have spoken to a number of players and I am confident that we will have a bigger and stronger squad for the start of the new season. I should have positive news next week on a striker we have been chasing for some time, and re: two midfielders, one who is currently involved in the play offs, and one who played with the top team in our division.

I have spoken to Todd Lumsden about coming back to Cliftonhill, and also to another, younger, centre half. Hopefully we will have news on both before the end of the month.

In addition we will be watching specific targets at senior, junior and amateur level over the coming weeks. I have seen three games this week myself, and our scouts (who include Robert Watt and Paddy Connolly) have been watching various targeted players in action.

We have to be pragmatic with regards to the type of player we aim to sign. Proven lower-division goalscorers will never sign for the Rovers, as they will always be driven by the highest offer. We therefore need to find the next big thing on the goalscoring front. In our efforts to do so, we have exhaustively searched our resource pool and over the coming weeks, we will watch our signing targets in action more before we make up our minds.

Fraser Wishart has indicated that over 400 professional players will join the ranks of the unemployed this summer. There may therefore be an opportunity to pick up one or two players of better quality. However, our experiences in the loan market this year have shown us that not all players from a supposedly higher level can cut it in the Third Division .It is therefore vital that we acquire players who can handle the physical and mental rigors of life in our division.

All in all, it is a very exciting time for me personally. My wife recently gave birth to our second child and I relish the opportunity over the summer of shaping a team capable of making a sustained challenge at the top end of the table next season. Given our limited finances, it is not going to be easy, but I believe we can have a full season to remember in 2009-10.

There is no question that we created chances and in particular for the majority of the second half we dominated possession but couldn’t find the goal that would have got us back on level terms. That been said we never at any stage looked comfortable at the back as Elgin looked very dangerous on the counter attack.

It is very easy after performances like Saturday to lose your focus on where we are going. Yes the last ten games have been painful, yes we have missed an unbelievable opportunity to have a season to be remembered for years, yes it has left us in a position where there are only two teams below us however I am positive that we have the nucleus of a decent side that if we added to in the right areas then we could mount a challenge beyond March next year.

I still believe that given our starting position we have done ok in a league where some serious money has been spent this year. There is no question that all of the teams above us and the two teams below us have spent more than in recent seasons in an attempt to get out the league. I still believe that over the piece we have had good value for money from the players. I still believe that if I had personally done better for the club in the January transfer window then we would still be up there challenging. I knew then we were short in goals and didn’t do enough to fix it. There is no question that we are paying for that now!

Everyone at the club is working hard at the moment to make next year better. Our pre season fixtures are nearly there with games already tied up with Alloa, Celtic, Dundee United and Selkirk. Our focus on getting the right players in to bolster us is strong. I have a number of targets from the senior, junior and amateur set ups. We are trying to get the right type in that will allow us to blend our football with a little bit of a more pragmatic approach. Pat Walker is on the way back from his world tour and we will be trying to get a couple of other goalscoring strikers to support him and Marc Pollock.

We have however three matches to play and we must endeavour to end the season on as positive note as possible. We are ten points off a play off spot and I would like to see us make in roads to the final total. Next season we need to bridge that gap and come the end of the 36^th game the fewer points the gap the better psychologically it will be for us next year.

At the start of March we were on the crest of a wave. A win at home to Elgin had us travelling to Dumbarton knowing that a win would put us fourth top, and into a play-off position for the first time. Unfortunately we not only lost that match but then followed it up with our worst run of the season. We have been the original burning spitfire!! No matter what we have tried, it hasn’t worked: a combination of our inability to take chances and a growing tendency to shoot ourselves in the foot defensively.

I believe that when we have everyone available we are as good as anyone in the league, but in March a combination of injuries and suspensions to key players has highlighted our lack of strength and depth, something I must take responsibility for. I have used the loan system extensively this year in an effort to bolster our squad in areas of weakness. Initially this was driven by a desire to balance the pool in the right areas, as I had inherited a squad that was a little bit lacking in the middle of the park and up front. Additionally, injuries at the back meant I had to bring in a centre half.

In the main the policy has been a success, but some loan signings have very definitely not worked out. I know there has been criticism of our loan dealings in certain quarters, but it has been a necessary option at times throughout the season. When we get the opportunity to restructure the squad in the summer I do not foresee our use of the loan system being as extensive next year. Don't get me wrong, if we get the opportunity of a player from a higher level with a proven track record then we will have a look at it, but we really want to be developing our own squad of players 2009-2010.

It has been a difficult month. We had become used to going into games expecting to win them. When this doesn’t happen it is a shock to the system, and ultimately the manager has to shoulder the blame. It has however been a good time for Paddy and myself, because it’s at times like this you get the opportunity to see what the players are really made of. Some have done okay, others have been found wanting.

Some of the players who have fallen a bit short will no doubt be blaming everyone bar themselves (more often or not me!) which is the norm in modern day culture, but I am committed to improving the standard of player at Albion Rovers. Some are no doubt talented, but talent alone does not make a football player.

At the Rovers we need grit and determination almost as much as talent. We also have a very small minority who are taking more from the club than they are putting in. This of course happens in every workplace but sooner or later these people get found out and they end up having to move on. When this happens, it is always the employers fault, never the employees!

In the main, though, I have been blessed with good players and good people this season and for this I am thankful. The boys have produced fantastic performances and played some terrific football but ultimately we have come up short. This is something that Paddy and I will need to address in the summer. We have signed or have agreed to sign the nucleus of the squad for next year and we are sure that the addition of 3 or 4 players in key areas will strengthen us so that next March we won’t do the burning spitfire again!

The fans support has been invaluable to us this year and we are very appreciative of it. Through all our difficult times the fans have stuck with us and I hope that we can produce a fitting end to the season that will give everyone the lift that we need to go into the summer looking forward to next season.

Great to get three points on Tuesday in a game that was always going to be very difficult. We really don’t do being favourites that well, as we saw in the game a couple of weeks ago up at Elgin. Elgin, for their part, are vastly improved under Ross Jack. With some of their best players now returning from injury and suspension, and with a couple of wins behind them, Elgin are starting to believe they can win more games than they lose!

On a difficult night for football we created an unbelievable amount of chances (including a missed penalty late on) but the points were never really safe until the final whistle. It’s never easy at the Rovers, and Elgin had chances throughout the game that could ultimately have been costly in our efforts to get further up the league. That said, I thought our application over the piece was excellent and some of the football we played was outstanding.

It gives us four home wins since the turn of the year, and the belief that we can win regularly at home .If we are to mount a sustained challenge then our remaining seven home games must give us a decent points return. Earlier in the season we were competing well at home but not getting the reward we felt we deserved, but I feel there is now a determination at home to win matches whatever way necessary.

On Saturday we face a tough game at Dumbarton, but it is a challenge that the players will be looking forward to. We will go to Dumbarton determined to be positive in our approach. The players have been positive all season, and I feel this has been at the heart of our success. Our future is in our own hands, and I can assure you that over the coming months the players will be giving their all in an effort to get into the top four!

Paul Martin