MANAGER: They all need to earn their place

“Our lads will be on holiday at the moment but they'll see that we're signing good players and they’ll know we’re looking to sign more,” he said. “There's nothing wrong with coming back into a competitive environment.

“I quite enjoy the fact that no player has got a God-given right to be in the starting eleven. They all need to earn it as far as I’m concerned. Getting the shirt is one thing, but the challenge then is to produce a performance which leads to them keeping it.”

“Work is ongoing and I met two players last Wednesday,” he confirmed. “We had already held preliminary conversations with both sets of representatives. Colin West has also met with a representative of a potential player down in London because of his location. You have to go through the process of finding out where these players are, which you can do on the phone.”

“We’d like to do all of our business early but it's got to be right for me, the players and the football club,” he explained. “We have to make sure the medicals can be completed and that the players and representatives are available to come up to Brunton Park and sign. 

“We're not in a rush because we've got a good idea of the targets we want. We'll prioritise the ones we think we can get over the line. There are a few players who have gone away on holiday and when they come back they'll want to weigh up their options, which they're fully entitled to do. 

“The pleasing thing is that we've got some good players here. We retained good players and the character that was in that changing room last season is something we can develop as we look to bring in better players with good personalities alongside them. 

“There are lots of areas we know we can improve on. If we can turn some of the draws we were getting into wins we’ll continue that upward curve. The immediate target is to improve on last season, which should take us in and around the play-offs.”