EVEN Darren Cummings can't quite believe the events of the last week.

In fact, the last 12 months have all become a bit of a blur for the Sauchie veteran who must have thought he'd seen it all at Beechwood Park.

This time last year, his only concern was keeping himself fit ahead of the club's first season in Senior football, but now he's got a very different weight on his shoulders.

Following Iain Diack's shock resignation just hours before the club's place in the new Premier Division was confirmed, Cummings has been entrusted by Sauchie bosses to build a squad ready to compete amongst the East of Scotland's elite.

It won't be an easy task and Cummings – who will steer the ship with first team coach Darren Petrie until a permanent replacement for Diack is found – knows he will have to act fast to secure Sauchie's out of contract stars on new deals.

Cummings told Advertiser Sport: "It's been a wee bit of a whirlwind. One minute you're a player and the next you are taking the team.

"We had a meeting with Noel on Saturday and will now look to pick up from where Iain left things.

"It will certainly be different and I am really excited about it all. It's a big opportunity for me.

"Noel said to me that there's no pressure. He knows I work shifts and says they are looking to bring in someone who can help us and be there all the time.

"Now that we are sorted we can start getting the ball rolling with securing players.

"We can't leave it any longer as teams are already a few weeks ahead of us.

"We need to move and we need to move quickly and get players signed up."

Cummings has been a mainstay for the club for over a decade, minus a short stint at Bo'ness, and admits it feels natural to be taking the next steps in his career with the Reds.

A two-goal hero in the East of Scotland Cup triumph of 2014, he has also been a member of squads that have seen both promotion and relegation.

But now he is tasked with the job of ensuring the futures of Conor Langton, Terry Hewitt and the rest of the Sauchie squad and believes Premier Division status will prove pivotal.

"We also need to get some new faces in and Darren and I have already spoken to a few contacts," the 34-year-old revealed.

"We've been waiting for a while to know what league we were going to be in and now we have that carrot to offer players.

"That should help us to bring in a better quality of player rather than if we were in those other leagues.

"We weren't interested in the other leagues and couldn't have been in them.

"I would like to bring four or five players in who can fit right into the team and I am looking at every position."

Cummings will work closely with former Stirling Albion midfielder Petrie over the next few weeks as the pair prepare Sauchie for pre-season.

He said: "The two of us will put our heads together and I see us very much as co-managers.

"[The job is] not something I had really thought about because of the shifts at my work. If you're a manager, you need to be there every single week.

"You need a face that is going to be there all the time.

"We'll bounce off each other and [myself and Darren] have grown very close over the year.

"He's a young lad, but he has done a heck of a lot in the game for his age."