Wasps boss ready to deal in core of his squad

The Wasps boss will meet with his players this week to tell them who will receive new contract offers and who will be released, but he reckons the majority of the squad have made a strong case for a new deal.

The former Clyde and Falkirk star also revealed that he will not hesitate to play some of the club's youngsters in the first team next season.

Ross told Advertiser sport: "My intention would be to keep the core of the team and over the next week we will have a clearer picture. I would like to keep the nucleus of what I have here because we have some good players and I also believe we have players who care about their club which is important, there are players who want to do well and have a hunger to get success back for the club. I will add the ones I’m trying to attract at the moment, who I think will fit well with how I like to work, but sometimes it is easier said than done in getting them. The reputation the club has in terms of how professional it is and how it looks after its players can help us to a degree, but there are always other factors as well. I don't think drastic changes are needed though because there are a lot of players here I really enjoy working with. For our point of view, to finish the season unbeaten in the last five games is good for the morale around the place. The players are finishing the season realising they are good players, which maybe wasn’t the case earlier in the season, due to how the season had gone. The unbeaten run after they'd already been relegated is testament to their professionalism and integrity to do things correct for the club.

"In terms of our own young players, it has been frustrating for Scott Hynd and at times you forget how young Isaac Layne is. They've had to be patient because of the situation we found ourselves in, so I was pleased for Isaac to score last weekend. He was disappointed not to add to it, but he has not played a lot of games at this level so he is still learning. There are also other players who have impressed in training and have still to be given an opportunity which is good for the future and the likes of Ryan Hoggan and Scott Hynd are there. Scott came on and did really well against Dumbarton."

Ross was left frustrated after his side could only draw 1-1 with rivals Dumbarton in their final SPFL Championship game last weekend, but admits he cannot fault his players for their attitude in the final weeks of the season.

He said: " I was pleased with the performance, but frustrated at the result. The only thing I could ask the players to add to their game is a little bit of ruthlessness, in terms of taking more of the opportunities we have been creating. That would help us to see out little periods in games when they come under a bit of pressure because over the course of this game I don’t think we came under a lot of pressure apart from the beginning of the second half. Unfortunately, we conceded in that time, but for the vast majority of the game lots to be pleased about. Once again the players energy levels, their commitment and their desire to keep playing that way was there for all to see despite the game being meaningless.

"A lot of the football they play is terrific and they created good opportunities from good play, which didn’t always come easy for us. We could have won it at the end, Scott Hynd came on and did well. It has been frustrating for him because we have not been able to give him the opportunities, but he has a knack of putting himself in good areas, the first header he possibly was a bit disappointed, but the second header was terrific and he was unfortunate to see it just go the wrong side of the post."

The 39-year-old gaffer paid tribute to out going Celtic loanee Michael Duffy for his efforts at the club this season and believes he will go far in the game.

Ross added: "We had a young squad this season, probably at times even I didn’t realise the age of some of the players. It would have been mentally challenging over parts of the season for the youngsters, but the experience will help them gain confidence and belief in their abilities. Michael Duffy is possibly the case and point in that his performances have been fantastic over the last few months. I know through speaking to him, that belief is now evident in him, which great for him going forward and his appearances will attract interest from other clubs. I am not sure whether his next move is with Celtic or loaned back out to a full time club, but he is certainly good enough to play in the top league and he is only going to get better because he has so much to offer the game."