SAUCHIE boss Fraser Duncan is delighted to get back to business as their pre-season campaign gets underway this weekend against Lowland League outfit Tynecastle FC.

It has been a summer of change for the Beechwood Park men with a couple of high profile exits from the club, but the gaffer is delighted with the business he has managed to get in the door and says there will be more to come.

Duncan told Advertiser sport: “It will be nice to get back playing again because it has been mainly running and fitness work in our first week back.

“We have only had three weeks off this year so we aren’t that far off the pace anyway and the sharpness will return with games. It has very much been a summer of change for us. Iain Diack is on the transfer list and so he will be leaving the club. In terms of players we have lost, Darren Cummings was a huge one to lose for us, but his exit has been well documented and we move on.

“Danny Ashe has gone to play in the Lowland League with Stirling University and we wish him well with that. Graeme King has also left the club, he is taking a break from football to focus on his career which we fully understand.

“Coming in the way we have promoted three under 21 players as Ally Brown, Stuart Love and Ants McTaggart all make the step up to the first team this season.

“We have also added a third new player to our ranks in Gary Currie who follows Jordan Tapping and Bruce McAdam in joining the club this summer. Gary is a local Stirling lad who played for Bannockburn AFC last season.

“He was the Scottish Amateur player of the season and starred for Scotland Amateurs in international games and I have been after him for a while so I am delighted to finally bring him to the club.

“He is a box to box midfielder who will offer us something different and hopefully he can be a big hit for us next season.” Duncan revealed he is still sweating over the contracts of key players Darren Dolan and David Morrison as their first taste of action in the new season looms large, but the 31-year-old is hopeful of securing the highly-rated duo, who won the club’s player’s player of the year and Player of the year awards respectively, over the course of the next week after positive talks with both.

He said: “Daz and David are the two we are still to agree terms with, but we have spoken to them and I am really hopeful that we can get those done in the next week.

“Both players were superb for us last season, which was reflected by the awards they won at the player of the year night, so we would love to keep them for another season because they would have big parts to play in what we are trying to achieve here.” The former Ipswich Town trainee is looking forward to the opening friendly fixture and hopes it will be a decent test for his players to blow away any summer cobwebs.

Duncan added: “The game against Tynecastle seniors will be a decent test for us because they are competing in the Lowland League next season and it is the kind of test we need early on in pre-season.

“In fairness, a lot of the players have come back in really good condition. The likes of Brian Morgan and Conor Kelly look like they have never been away so that is a real positive for us.”