Francesc Fabregas

Here's an updated squad list following tonight's business: GOALKEEPERS Conor Brennan (signed from East Kilbride) Jay Cantley (signed from Airdrieonians) DEFENDERS Adam Corbett Sean Crighton Daniel Higgins (signed from East Fife) Nicky Jamieson Scott Walker (signed from Airdrieonians) Callum Yeats (signed from Queen's Park - on loan) MIDFIELDERS Mikey Anderson Adam Brown Craig Bryson (signed from St Johnstone) Ross Forbes Mikey Miller (signed from Ayr United - loan made permanent) Nat Wedderburn FORWARDS Niyah Joseph (signed from Queen of the South) Euan O'Reilly Tam Orr Will Sewell (signed from Largs Thistle) Matty Yates (signed from Stranraer)

Scott Walker has joined the club from Airdrieonians: A full-back that can play on right and the left, you say? Heck yes! This is the cover we're needing, and I reckon that's our defence sorted for the year ahead.

This tweet, however, has got disaster written all over it: Looking forward to it getting dragged back up in May when we finish in sixth place, baby!

I've just purchased my season ticket for the year ahead by setting up a standing order of £18 per month for the next 10 months. Incredible work from the club and its sponsors to keep the prices low and the process as simple as possible. Well done to all concerned!

Hmm, not really, if I'm being honest. In his first season at Ochilview, Cammy Graham looked like he might have had something about him and chipped in with a couple of handy goals, including an equalisers against Cowdenbeath (on his debut, no less) and Stranraer before he had a cancer scare in early 2021 (which he thankfully made a full recovery from) and had to miss the second half of the season as a result. The club gave him a new contract last summer, making him one of the few holdovers from the previous season, which was a nice gesture, but I never got the feeling that Stephen Swift really fancied him or could trust him. According to Transfermarkt, he only made one League 2 start last season, and spent most of his time coming off the bench to no real effect. Graham's small and he's slight and will get pushed around a bit, but he's enthusiastic, game and he's got decent ability and could be an asset for Cowdenbeath. I think he could do quite well in the Lowland League and maybe return to the SPFL in the future if he beefs up a bit. He seems like a smashing boy as well and I hope he can do you a good turn.

What a football club. I'll be purchasing mine tomorrow. I just can't wait for this season to start! I'm so excited! (And that will inevitably lead to crushing disappointment when we finish in sixth.)

Here's an updated squad list following Callum Yeats' acquisition: GOALKEEPERS Conor Brennan (signed from East Kilbride) Jay Cantley (signed from Airdrieonians) DEFENDERS Adam Corbett Sean Crighton Daniel Higgins (signed from East Fife) Nicky Jamieson Callum Yeats (signed from Queen's Park - on loan) MIDFIELDERS Mikey Anderson Adam Brown Craig Bryson (signed from St Johnstone) Ross Forbes Mikey Miller (signed from Ayr United - loan made permanent) Nat Wedderburn FORWARDS Niyah Joseph (signed from Queen of the South) Euan O'Reilly Tam Orr Will Sewell (signed from Largs Thistle) Matty Yates (signed from Stranraer)

Aye, we can't be too far away. I think we need another defender in (someone who can play at left-back if needed) and a right-sided attacker but that's a good squad of players going into the new season. We look a lot better prepared than we were 12 months ago, that's for sure. I don't want to get carried away, and it is still early days, but when you compare our business to the rest of the division, we look in good shape.

Callum Yeats is returning to the club for a season-long loan from Queen's Park: This is a tremendous piece of business - Yeats is a smashing player with a lot of ability and a brilliant attitude and he'll be the final piece of our back four. I'm very excited for the season ahead. I think we could have a successful campaign.

I agree that Stephen Swift is going into the current campaign under pressure to deliver success, and that he underestimated the quality in the SPFL when he put together his team last summer, but I think (and hope) he'll have learned a lot from his mistakes from the previous season (and there were plenty of them!) We're about two signings away from having a solid starting XI and we appear to have greater depth. On top of that, I've always felt Swift comes across well in his interviews and I find myself broadly agreeing with him, regardless of the result. I hope he holds a meet-the-manager forum one evening before the season kicks off, it would be good to get his thoughts on his time at the club so far and his plans for the season ahead. I would imagine most (every?) club at this level will have a good idea about the better players in the lower divisions and the leagues outside of the SPFL, either through a scouting network or personal relationships between managers, coaches and players. I remember, earlier, at one point last season, saying to a fellow Warrior that Adam Corbett's performances might attract the attention of teams like Montrose or Alloa Athletic and he said that neither side would have heard of him. I'll say now what I said to him then: I disagree! Every side will have the feelers out there!

Ach, I think you're being a bit hard on him. If nothing else, he'll add some depth to our attacking options, and that's not a bad thing. Just because we're bringing in another forward, it doesn't mean we'll be neglecting our defence!

In what way? The club have billed him as winger... we need someone to play to the right of our attack... I'm not sure Joseph is a "needless signing" at all!

The reviews from Queen of the South fans have been downbeat - have a look at their thread in the League 1 forum. They did, however, acquiesce that while he might have struggled in the Championship, he might do a decent turn in League 2. Here's hoping!

Hell yeah! I'm sure he'll do us a decent turn, perhaps. Does he play on the right wing, aye?

Here's the updated squad list for the season ahead: GOALKEEPERS Conor Brennan (signed from East Kilbride) Jay Cantley (signed from Airdrieonians) DEFENDERS Adam Corbett Sean Crighton Daniel Higgins (signed from East Fife) Nicky Jamieson MIDFIELDERS Mikey Anderson Adam Brown Craig Bryson (signed from St Johnstone) Ross Forbes Mikey Miller (signed from Ayr United - loan made permanent) Nat Wedderburn FORWARDS Niyah Joseph (signed from Queen of the South) Euan O'Reilly Tam Orr Will Sewell (signed from Largs Thistle) Matty Yates (signed from Stranraer)

Stenhousemuir FC have signed Niyah Joseph. I don't know too much about him but what can we expect? Is he "good"? Can he do it on a cold Tuesday night in Stranraer?

We've added another player to our roster by bringing in Niyah Joseph from Queen of the South. I can't say I know too much about him, even although he had a spell at Annan Athletic, but I'm looking forward to seeing him in action!

Agreed - I'm actually more looking forward to seeing Will Sewell in action than Craig Bryson. From the clips I've seen of Sewell, he looks like a hard runner and a confident finisher (albeit some of the defences he's been up against have looked appalling) and I hope he can translate that into a decent return in League 2. Our signings from outside the SPFL have been largely mixed, with a handful of gems in there with a tonne of dreck (ie, the majority of last summer's transfer business), and I'm hoping Sewell can do us a good turn and kick on further up the ladder.

There is no chance that Craig Bryson will be on £700 per week. Having spoken to a couple of part-time footballers about their wages, we could bring in three good, experienced players for that kind of outlay. I've no doubt Bryson will be well looked after at Stenhousemuir but I envisage he'll be paid about half the amount touted. Ultimately, it's futile to talk about wages and money and sponsorship unless you're on the board of directors! Myself included!

Pretty sure that relationship was quietly kyboshed when Graeme Mathie left Easter Road and his replacement (Ian Gordon, I think?) spoke out against strategic partnerships. I think, on the whole, it was beneficial to Stenhousemuir, with Callum Yeats and Paddy Martin (and latterly Jack Brydon) all starring regularly but I'm not sure it's healthy to have three of your starting XI on loan from the one club.

Of course, it's all unsubstantiated about how much we're paying for players and how big their weekly wages are, but now's the time to push the boat out to win the League 2 title. There are no outstanding candidates and no immediate title favourites and I think we're doing the right thing by signing up the better players from last season's team and adding some high-calibre additions. We're still a handful of players away from having a decent squad (a left-back, a right-sided attacker, some defensive cover) and I don't trust the new goalkeeper, but I'd expect us to be challenging at the top end of the table come the end of the campaign. I do wonder how we'll line up and what the plans for Craig Bryson are - where do you play him? As a deeper midfielder? Or pushed high up off the striker? It's a riddle, that's for sure!

A couple of last season's players have found new clubs. Ross Lyon has returned to Clyde while Jordan Tapping has signed for the Spartans.

We offered Lyon terms for the season ahead, but he rejected our offer.

You guys will have a fair idea what Ross Lyon's all about but he was absolutely fine at Stenhousemuir last term. He started off as our first-choice right-back before being shifted over to the left as Stephen Swift searched for a working defensive combination. He lost his place in the team in the second half of the season when Adam Corbett and Callum Yeats were selected ahead of him but always did fine whenever he came off the bench. He's an okay defender, and he's decent going forward, even if I can't really remember him chipping in with a significant attacking contribution, a good goal against Huntly in the Scottish Cup aside. I would have kept him for cover and squad depth. Not the greatest signing in the world but he's probably a better player than the one who left Clyde a couple of years ago.

Ryan Blair, as others before me have written, is a neat and tidy midfielder who's quite good at keeping things ticking over. His best attribute is his left foot and his ability to thump long, raking diagonal passes into the channels whenever the space opens up. He is not a creative player, he's not much of a goal threat, his set-pieces are often wayward and, worst of all, he's flimsy and lightweight and will be overwhelmed by any opponent who is aggressive or enthusiastic. You'll need to have someone alongside him as a ball winner but he's really not good enough to offer that kind of indulgence. Good luck!