FORMER Celtic full back Calum Waters says he is out to establish himself as a first team regular after becoming the latest new recruit at Alloa Athletic last week.

The talented young left back was released by the Parkhead club last month and admits he took his time to ponder his next move, but now believes that the Wasps are the perfect fit for him as he looks to help the club to challenge at the top of the SPFL League One table in the coming season.

Waters told Advertiser sport: “I am excited to be here and this is definitely a new challenge for me. I obviously had to take my time and decide what was the right move for me next after leaving Celtic, but after speaking with Jack on the phone I knew this was the right best one for my career. My main aim is I want to build my reputation as a first team player and prove that I cope playing at this level.

“I need to get more game time under my belt now for the age I am at and coming here gives me a great chance of establishing myself as a first team regular. Another big part of it, is the fact that the manager had brought so many quality players to the club already and so there is a real chance of a promotion bid this season. The chance to play for a team challenging for the league really excites me.”

Waters revealed how he was sold on the club by former Celtic team mates Michael Duffy and Connor McManus after both enjoyed life in the Wee County under gaffer Jack Ross last season.

The 20-year-old is delighted to be reunited with ex-Dumbarton team mates Kevin Cawley, Jordan Kirkpatrick and Scott Taggart and hopes their presence at the club will allow him to settle in quicker and hit the ground running.

He said: “I have heard a lot about the manager and how he operates from various team mates and every one of them had excellent feedback about him. I spoke with both Michael Duffy and Connor McManus who really loved their time here working under him. They both felt like he improved them as players, gave them a lot of confidence and helped them get a lot of games under their belt, so I knew I could be confident in committing to the club for next season and I can't wait to get started. I had a few games against Alloa last season so I know a wee bit of what to expect, but thankfully I have the likes of Kirkpatrick, Cawley and Taggart here to help me settle in.”

The left-sided youngster, who played 16 games on loan at Dumbarton last season, actually scored against the Wasps last term in their 5-0 Scottish Cup win, and now hopes to build on that experience to help Alloa push for promotion next season.

Waters added: “The experience of playing those games for Dumbarton last season was great for me. I got to play against the likes of Hibs and Rangers which was obviously brilliant for me so hopefully I can build on that in the coming season and help the club get straight back up into the Championship.”