Pre-Season Board Statement

Chairman’s plea to support the team on flag day and share the moment.

As a supporter, the opening league fixture of the season, particularly when it is at home is always a very special day in the football calendar but this Saturday’s game at East End Park against Dumbarton is extra special, with the 2015-16 SPFL League 1 flag being presented to our club, and unfurled before the match.

Supporters are advised to arrive early for the match, or try and purchase their tickets in advance with the flag ceremony being planned for 2.55pm. In addition, season ticket cards can sometimes be temperamental at the first match, so your consideration and punctuality would be much appreciated to avoid any potential issues.

Hopefully by kick off we will have passed through the 3,000 barrier for season ticket sales, which would not only be a fantastic achievement but testament yet again to the loyalty and support of our magnificent fan base.

As Saturday is a special day for both our club and local community we would encourage our supporters to try and bring along as many of their friends and family, to share the moment too.
It was a massive team effort that allowed us to win the League 1 Championship last season.

Therefore, it is a fitting tribute to both our supporters and staff that we have the opportunity to unfurl the league flag before Saturday’s match. It will certainly be an honour for me personally to do this on behalf of everyone connected to our club.

Once again, Allan Johnston has recruited really well over the summer, to complement our existing squad, who he has largely managed to retain. He is very meticulous in terms of who he recruits, and is always looking for the right qualities in a player to add to the existing group. We are working really hard to recruit additional quality players within our remaining budget, but one difficulty is that the new rules now mean that we cannot recruit any more over age players on loan.

One reason why our club can recruit the quality players that it has, is due to the success of our Centenary Club Lifeline, and it is so vital that supporters continue to pay their membership, or decide to join if they have not already done so. This provides us with a real competitive advantage over other provincial clubs, and is looked upon with envy I am sure, as are the regular contributions from the 1885 Business Club and DASC Supporters Shop.

As I have said previously, despite moving up a league, this coming season will still provide its challenges off the pitch, as well as on it, and that is why we need the continued support of everyone to assist our club. For example, supporters may have noticed that the league fixture card only provides us with 1 home game in the months of October, November and February, whilst we have 3 home games in December and 4 home games in the month of April (3 of whom are our big local derbies)! Essentially, we are entering a season whereby the second last month of our financial year will have a major determining factor on our cash flow, rather than being spread more appropriately over the season. Therefore, it is far from ideal but we have no option to plan accordingly and get on with it.

We have been really unlucky with injuries and illness in the last couple of weeks, and it may well take a few more weeks yet to get our full squad fully fit. Although we usually held the upper hand in a lot of matches last season, it will not be the same situation this season playing against the calibre of teams in the Championship, so patience and resilience is required when you are stepping up a level. Therefore, we all have to stick together and remember why we were so successful last season, when everyone was pulling in the same direction in a positive manner.

Finally, so many people assist our club on a voluntary basis, and it is always difficult and perhaps unfair to pick out any individuals but I have to pay tribute once again to the following people who have assisted our club greatly in the close season:

• Davie, Bob, Jo, Paul, John, Willie, Tony, Andy, Sean, Johnny and Moray who have worked tirelessly cleaning and painting the stadium.
• David, Elaine, Karen and Linda who have put in countless shifts in the Club Shop/Ticket Office always with a smile on their face. and
• Local sponsors such as Davie and Brian at AK Moyes. Stevie at Stephen Vaughan Electrical. Jim Thomson at the Purvis Group. Ian Morris at Almor Carpets. Derek Smith at Derek Smith Decorating. and Keith and Stevie at SRJ Windows.

It has been a difficult journey for our club over the last few seasons, so let’s all enjoy the experience of moving up to the Championship, as our supporters certainly deserve that opportunity with the contribution they have made since our club came out of administration.

Come on Ye Pars!
Ross McArthur
CHAIRMAN