New Stirling Albion boss calls for cool heads as summer rebuild kicks into gear

Alan Maybury is hoping cooler heads can prevail in a busy summer as Stirling Albion ramp up their preparations for the upcoming season.

The Irishman has been out on the training pitch putting his charges through their paces as the Binos prepare for their first public pre-season outing at Lowland League new boys Broxburn Athletic on Saturday.

To say it has been a tumultuous start for Maybury would be an understatement, with the new boss walking into a club with a decimated squad from last season’s League One disappointment as well as facing a rebuild in the coaching and conditioning staff.

But the 45-year-old is taking it all in his stride - and believes his side won’t be disadvantaged from Stirling being the last club in Scotland to fill their managerial vacancy.

The Observer spoke to the new boss as the squad faced a hard training session on a stifling Saturday morning.

Maybury said: “It’s been good and just trying to bed the guys back in and give them a feel for how we’re going to work and what I’m looking for, lots of work with the ball.

“We went a week later with the play-off, so it’s actually another two weeks until the League Cup and another five weeks or so until the start of the season so there’s plenty of time - we just need to keep calm and not panic about things.

“We’re doing a lot of work in the background trying to get players in and trying to build the squad back up again.

“It’s a positive and a negative. You would like to have more of a starting point, but it’s a chance to rebuild and shape to get the right players in after last season.

“I know that other teams might be starting from a different base but it’s not all a negative for us.

“The full-time teams are only just starting back and they’ll keep hold of their younger ones until they can get their bodies or there are guys who are waiting to see if they can go full-time, how high they can go.

“But once teams are back for a week or two and they haven’t maybe got what they wanted, then it just starts to filter down.”

Maybury has already brought in three new faces in experienced forward Ally Roy, former East Fife defender Sam Denham and last season’s player of the year at Lowland League upstarts Cumbernauld Colts, Harley Ewen.

The new gaffer admits his side might have a younger feel this season - and insists he has enough experience in his side to keep up standards.

He has also tackled the issue of his team behind the scenes, with interim head of youth development Tony McMinn set to help out in the dugout for the meantime.

Maybury continued: “I’m more than happy to have younger players in there.

“I’ve come through youth development in my background. I’m happy to give those boys an opportunity but you need that mix as well with a good group of players in the middle bit of their career and one or two experienced ones as well.

“They are needed to make sure it isn’t just me giving out the messages. They can keep the changing room right and clip some wings when they need to - I need a couple like that to have that blend and make sure it isn’t just me they’re listening to.

“We’ve brought in a sports scientist, goalie coach and a physio and Tony will step up and work with me for the time being and we’ll maybe revisit that one at the end of the summer.”