COWDENBEATH are pleased that league reconstruction has been ruled out for next season and backed the Premiership clubs who announced on Friday that, due to the current coronavirus outbreak, now was not the time for change.

That stance won’t be welcome in Kelty but League 2 will consist of 10 teams when the new campaign eventually kicks off and gives the Blue Brazil some certainty and the opportunity to plan ahead.

First up will be to fix up new deals for their management team and a squad of players for the 2020/21 season as everyone is out of contract.

Last week the club intimated that, if there was to be a change, a 14-14-14 set up would get their backing.

However, club secretary David Allan had made it plain that Cowden did not feel this was the time to look at reconstruction.

With the hugely controversial issue now determined, he said the club was making plans for next season.

He said: “The board have been looking at the out of contract situation and are currently assessing what players we would be looking to keep.

“Certainly the performances last season were pretty consistently good, and things were looking like coming to a good finish when the coronavirus struck.

“I would certainly agree that a fair number of the squad would be the sort of players we would be looking to have with us.

“The COVID-19 situation is not looking really any clearer but it could be that late August-September could be the likely starting area, so we have to look at getting the management team contracts sorted and then the playing staff.”

Few fans would disagree with manager Gary Bollan, assistant Craig Easton and coach Ian Flaherty being re-engaged, and most of the squad would be welcomed too by fans as they have seen the club change from being a side suffering successive relegations, and then facing two play-offs to stay in the division, to a side which last season could well have been pressing for promotion in the play-offs.

Longest serving player is midfielder Kyle Miller, who would be going into his ninth season at Central Park if he re-signs, while full-back and last season’s penalty king Fraser Mullen (pictured above) would be looking at a fifth season as a Blue Brazilian if he was to put pen to paper.

Defenders Jamie Pyper and Jamie Todd, along with Player of the Year, Craig Barr, would be solid acquisitions, along with Harvey Swann. In midfield Miller could be joined by Gavin Morrison, who joined up in January from Brora Rangers after moving south with his work, Robbie Buchanan, Mikey Herd, Archie Thomas and Graham Taylor; while the strike force of David Cox, Kris Renton and Jordan Allan was effective.

An addition of five or so players to these lads would give Cowden a chance, with loan deals a likely avenue for the club to explore.