STENHOUSEMUIR boss 'Bomber' Brown Ferguson admits he cannot wait to pit his wits against his former club Alloa in League One next season.

The popular midfielder spent a total of seven years with the Clackmannanshire club as a player and made over 160 appearances making him a real fan's favourite.

And he admits it will be a special moment to return to the Indodrill Stadium as a manager to go head to head with highly-rated current Wasps boss Jack Ross.

Ferguson told Advertiser sport: “I am looking forward to colliding with them once again in League One next season with Stenhousemuir because it has been a couple of seasons since we last met. They have had a fantastic spell in recent years in the Championship. I was really disappointed to see them coming down last season, but they have a really good manager in Jack Ross so I believe they will be right there again for promotion next season. I am looking forward to the challenge against them and of course to return to the Recs again is always nice for me in whatever capacity it may be. To go back now as a manager will be great and there are still loads of people at the club from my time there so I know I will always be made feel welcome there.

“Alloa obviously had a tough season in a very difficult league, but they have had a real resurgence under Jack Ross. He is a manager who I have a lot of time for and I expect them to be a very strong force in the league next season. It will be good to pit my wits against him because I have had a year and a half in management now and I still feel like I am learning all the time. Jack is in the same boat in terms of first team management, but he has the reputation as a very good coach and a nice guy to boot so I wish him every success at Alloa.”

Ferguson believes League One will be a much more competitive table this coming season after the promotion of Dunfermline to the Championship last term, and he is desperate to see his Warriors side build on their performance that saw them battle to league safety.

He said: “I am itching to get our group of players back together and get started again. We have plans in place once again and it is well documented about the club's turbulent financial times recently so our main priority is to try to stay in the league and making sure the club remains stable. “We reached our 40 point target last year, that was a much improved performance on the previous season and although we are up against resource-wise, my ambition is to build on that again and compete.

“I think there is a freshness to League 1 with four new teams in the league and with Dunfermline getting promoted then I think it will make for a much tighter league table this coming season. The full time status with Airdrie and Livingston will pose a threat to every part time team, but I still think it will be a highly competitive league that will be ridiculously tight.”

The former Wasps hero was delighted to be back in the famous Black and Gold to score a brace in the legends win over the Supporters Club last weekend, and says his love for the club will stay with him forever.

Ferguson added: “I thoroughly enjoyed the game and it was great to see such a brilliant turn out on the day. To come back and enjoy the nostalgia and see some of my old team mates again. My affiliations with the club run deep and it is always nice to come back and get involved with Alloa because of the many brilliant memories we shared and I probably enjoyed some of my best years in football with them.”