Gartcairn boss Mick Dunlop says he has the nucleus of a good squad for next season, after agreeing terms with “seven or eight” players.
Left-back Adam Moss and midfielder Reegan Aitken are the latest to agree deals, adding to captain Ross Dunlop and left-back Paddy Boyle, while those who were on 18-month contracts – Kev Nicol, Danny Burns and Darren Bowie – are also staying on.
The Airdrie club are still fighting on two fronts, for at least a promotion slot from the West of Scotland First Division and travel to Kilwinning Rangers in the South Challenge Cup quarter-finals this weekend.
Dunlop said: “When you get to this stage you want to start planning for next season.
“There will be a few more I’ll be speaking to in the next week or so, and we’ll be looking to bring in four or five players in the summer.
“We’ve got the nucleus of a good team and a good squad, which has been shown by results so far.
“We’re in a good place and a good position just now, but there’s a long way to go and we haven’t achieved anything yet – all we’ve done is put in the groundwork for the final part of the season.
“I think we have 13 games to go and we’ve got the cup quarter-final this weekend.
“We’re getting into April and we still have so much to play for – you can’t ask for any more than that.”
Dunlop added: “We’ll have a lot of games in the next couple of months, and it’s going to be quite a demanding period, but hopefully we can get on a good run.
“If you’re involved in the latter stages of cup competitions and in a good position in the league it means all the hard work the guys have put in has paid off.
“But can we make the final push now? In my opinion, this is where the hard work really starts.
“I feel like the squad is as strong as it has been since I’ve come in and it will be tested, because we’re going to be paying Saturday-Wednesday, there will be injuries and suspensions, guys will dip in form, and we will need everybody in our squad.”
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