Clydebank manager Gordon Moffat believes that the club’s board have made the right decision in opting not to renew the Bankies’ membership of the Scottish Junior FA.

Junior sides have moved to a new West of Scotland Football League which forms part of the Scottish football pyramid and allows progression through the leagues for the first time

Clubs did have the option to renew their SJFA membership, which would entitle them to play in the Scottish Junior Cup – but Moffat said he was completely behind the decision not to hold on to the last ties between the club and the junior game.

“It was a decision taken at board level,” he told the Post, “but it’s one that I respect and fully back.

“I think this is a watershed moment for the club, moving back into senior football, and if it was my decision I would have done the exact same.

“We’re very thankful and grateful for what the junior set-up gave the club, but I think it’s the right time to move on and look to the next chapter.”

Whilst football hasn’t taken place at any level in the country since March, Moffat has remained hard at work off the pitch when it comes to new recruits and planning for next season.

Clydebank are set to announce new signings when players’ contracts have expired at current clubs, and the former Rossvale boss has admitted it’s not just about bringing in a talented player.

He said: “We did a video call to integrate some of the new boys who will be joining the club.

“Obviously it isn’t ideal over a Zoom call, but we didn’t want to let it run too long without properly introducing them.

“Some of the guys who are coming in I know very well, and some of them I know just through coming up against them.

“We always do our homework about the type of boy they are. They’ve got to be the right fit.

“It’s not just about fitting in and not causing a problem, it’s more about the right fit in terms of their ambition and will to win.

“It’s about getting the right mentality rather than just character as well.”

Phase one of Scotland’s coronavirus exit strategy hasn’t yet allowed Moffat to get his players together, but the Bankies gaffer is hopeful that it might not be too long before he’s able to take that step.

“We’re still quite limited in what we can do,” he said.

“We were planning to start pre-season on June 13, so we’re going to start doing some group sessions using a GPS app.

“We’ll feed in some specific runs and workouts that they’ve got to do and hopefully once we get through another three weeks we’ll be able to do some training in small groups.

“It’s a wee bit of light at the end of the tunnel but no massive change so far.”