New Albion Rovers boss Steven Saunders says he wants to bring back that 'winning feeling' as the Monklands men prepare for next season in the Lowland League West.
The 35-year-old former Motherwell and Gartcairn defender took the reins last week, replacing Sandy Clark after the veteran gaffer made the switch to Queen of the South to assist his son Nicky at Palmerston.
Saunders is taking on his first manager's job at Cliftonhill having earned his coaching badges while at Kilwinning Rangers and he hopes to bring some positivity back after recent difficult seasons for the club, who finished 13th in the league last term.
"It is great to be the manager of a club with such history and I am really looking forward to getting started," Saunders told the club media. "I think at this time in my career it is the right time to step out and become a manager. When the opportunity came around I was excited by the challenge and it is the right time for me."
"My assistant and I came and met the board and they had the same ambitions as we do. It was great to have that. Hopefully I bring a bit of professionalism and continue professionalism that from the previous regime, as well as bringing a brand of football that the community and the fans can get behind."
"We want to win games on a Saturday and bring that winning feeling to the club. Hopefully it is a brand of football that excites the fans. We don't want to just turn up and win 1-0. We want to score lots of goals. That doesn't mean we will go gung-ho and concede a lot as well. We want to do both sides of the game well."
"I look forward to meeting the fans soon in the pre-season friendlies."
Scotland cap Saunders has appointed John McGowan, who was also a coach at Kilwinning. He added: "John is a fantastic coach who has been coaching for the last 15/16 years at a great level. He brings a lot of knowledge and we bounce off of each other. We have a lot of arguments but it is never anything personal. When you have these conversations with your assistant, you get somewhere. The ultimate goal is to win games and progress players as well."
Rovers face a fresh challenge in the new Lowland League West, which includes a number of clubs who have been promoted from the West of Scotland League as part of a fifth tier shake-up in the Scottish football pyramid.
The coming season will see Rovers face Clydebank, Caledonian Braves, Cumbernauld Colts, Gretna, Auchinleck Talbot, Cumnock, Troon, Pollok, Largs Thistle, Johnstone Burgh, Kilwinning Rangers, Renfrew, Beith, Dalbeattie Star and Newton Stewart, as well as guest club Celtic B.
Saunders said: "It will be different for the fans and give them different places to go. We are expecting good teams and well organised teams with ambition. We have ambitions ourselves and I think it is going to be a really strong league."
