CLYDEBANK manager Gordon Moffat hopes that Craig Truesdale will be like a new signing for the club this coming season, and believes the midfielder can be one of his side's standout players in the 2024/25 campaign.

The 24-year-old arrived at Holm Park from East Kilbride in December and whilst there were glimpses of the talent that the tricky and exciting midfielder can offer, he failed to sustain a regular run of games in the Bankies starting eleven.

Truesdale made just four starts for his new club in the second half of the season but Moff admits it is difficult for any new player to make a mark when joining midway through a league campaign.

Speaking to the Post, he said: “He’ll be a really big player for us next season.

“Between Craig and I we knew it would always be the case that this pre-season is where he would start to get going. 

“Before he came to us he hadn’t played 90 minutes in a long time.  

“The season ended too soon for him in that he was building up a head of steam and was getting match fit. 

“We were starting to see his qualities at points before that and I’ll be really surprised if he isn’t one of our better players next season.”

Moff welcomed his side back to pre-season training in the last week as he looks to get his troops prepped for the coming campaign.

Clydebank will go through a gruelling run of sessions prior to a hectic period of friendlies that begins with a bounce match against the club's development side on June 29.

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Friendlies against a range of clubs from the Lowland League to the South of Scotland League, and the Highland League to the West of Scotland League are lined up for the Bankies.

Newmains United, Boness United, Caledonian Locomotives, Lochar Thistle, Petershill and Inverurie Loco Works make up the pre-season campaign, and Moff admits a lot of planning goes into arranging the fixtures.

He explained: “The under-20’s game will be more of a training match to get the legs moving really and then after we’ve got six friendlies. 

“We’ve got a mix of different opponents at different venues on astroturf pitches and grass pitches. 

“I’m always quite meticulous about pre-season, you’ve got to think about different challenges you might face across a campaign. 

“There’s a couple of bus trips in there as well to get the boys together so there’s a lot of factors that go into it.

“There are games in there where we will have a lot of the ball and others where they will be more even and it’ll be a bit tougher in that sense. 

“It’s about getting the right balance and making sure the players are ready for the league