SAUCHIE star Gary Shanks was disappointed to see Saturday’s Super League encounter with Broughty called off as it denied him the opportunity to make up for a missed chance in last week’s draw with Newtongrange Star.

The midfielder had been hoping to make amends but although he will miss out on this week’s rearranged fixture, he backed his team-mates to continue their good start to the year, writes Jamie Hall.

Shanks told Advertiser Sport: “It is always frustrating. You train and prepare for games all week and then to get the text on the Saturday morning saying the game off is the worst thing for a player at any level.

“I was on the bench for the Newtongrange game but I came on before we got the equaliser, and I probably should have scored a winner as well. I wanted to get back on the park as quickly as possible and try and put that right on Saturday.

“If we had beaten Broughty it would have taken us further away from the relegation fight and we would have been looking up instead of down. But it has been a good start to the year and hopefully the boys can go and get that victory this Saturday.”

Shanks says manager Fraser Duncan’s work in the transfer market has been the catalyst for their change in fortunes, and praised the impact of his side’s new recruits have had.

He said: “Josh Flood has made a big impact. He has been outstanding since he signed with his running, his work-rate and his directness. It has made a real difference. Iain Diack’s experience is valuable as he has been around for a long time. He has a lot of experience which he can pass on to the younger boys.

“Darren Cummings coming back is like a homecoming. This is where he wants to be playing his football and there is probably not a better player in the league.”

Despite an up-and-down league campaign Sauchie have been consistent in the Fife and Lothians Cup, and Shanks is hoping they can go all the way.

He added: “One of the main reasons I signed for Sauchie is that I have played in the juniors for eight years and never been close to winning a trophy. Sauchie seem to have the right mentality for the cups.

“On a personal note it would be great to play in a cup final because there are not many trophies up for grabs. We will give it our all to get there.”