NEW Glenafton boss Ryan Caddis has promised the club’s supporters he and his players will “work their backsides off” to give them a team to be proud of.

The former Whitletts and Craigmark manager says his immediate target is to keep Glens in the Premier Division – and then to rebuild next summer.

Caddis’s reign at Loch Park got off to the best possible start with a 3-1 win at home to Largs Thistle in the West of Scotland Cup on Saturday.

And the new man in charge says there were plenty of positives to build on as he aims to climb the table in the coming weeks and months.

Speaking to the club’s social media team after Saturday’s match, Caddis said: "Sometimes it’s about rolling your sleeves up and winning ugly, and I thought we did that today.

"There's loads to work on – loads of good stuff, a good base to build off. It was a real squad effort today. I’m glad with that.

“The aim is to stay in the league this year, get to the summer and rebuild.

“We’ve just got into the next round of the West, so that’s a cup we’ll be looking to get into the latter stages of.

“With the quality of the squad, I think we should be competing further up the table and in the latter stages of the cups, but we’ll deal with the hand we’ve got just now.”

Glens' cup commitments mean they remain second bottom of the Premier Division table, just a point ahead of Irvine Meadow - but with games in hand on all the teams around them.

And Caddis's message to the Glens supporters is a simple one as the team looks ahead to two big games to close 2023 – at home to leaders Clydebank on Saturday and away to champions Beith on December 30.

“Be patient,” he said. “Stick with us. Hopefully we can give you a team on the pitch that’s going to play a certain way, and that you can be proud of.

“I guarantee that we’ll work our backsides off for you, and we won’t leave any stone unturned, and hopefully we can have a successful period at the Glens.”

Watch Caddis's post-match interview in full at the club's Facebook page.