STEPHEN SWIFT has wielded the axe after Kilbirnie Ladeside narrowly avoided relegation from the Stagecoach Super Premier Division.

The Blasties boss was expected to make changes from the moment his side guaranteed top-flight survival with a nerve-jangling 0-0 draw in their final league game at home to champions Auchinleck Talbot.

But many eyebrows will be raised at the scale of a Valefield clearout which has seen him keep only six players. although at least a couple left for pastures new against the manager’s wishes.

Scotland full-back Chris Malone has joined Glenafton Athletic, while midfield prospect Darren McLean moved to Petershill, and it was confirmed today that another Junior international, Chris Wilson, had signed for Irvine Meadow on top of Arthurlie snapping up stopper Scott Gair.

Placed on the open-to-transfer list is former Motherwell, Rob Roy and Linlithgow Rose midfielder Stevie Meechan, while seven newcomers are already signed with that figure expected to double over the coming weeks as the ambitious gaffer attempts to clinch closure on a whole raft of his signing approaches.

Swifty was spotted in attendance at almost every West and East Region end-of-season game, and his legwork may be about to pay dividends because he remains optimistic about the prospects of capturing his transfer targets.

And he is particularly pleased to have snapped up midfielder David Anderson from Queen's Park.

He revealed: “Ryan Haxton (Cumbernauld United) and Kyle Rafferty (Arthurlie), are quality Junior types who have always impressed whenever I’ve seen them in action, so it’s an absolute delight to get them on board.

“And the addition of Albion Rovers goalkeeper Kieron Hughes will provide a healthy, and to my mind, much-needed competition for the gloves with Chris Fahey, which can only be good for the team.

“We also regarded striker Adam Forde as one of our must-haves, and no-one could blame us after his string of outstanding performances as a Stranraer loan signing towards the end of last season.

“However, it has to be a real feather in our cap that he has now decided to pen a contract with Kilbirnie Ladeside instead of re-joining his Senior club.

“Adam is fast, hard-working and skilful, with a predatory instinct for being in the right place at the right time, and we should try to make the most of his abilities because it may be only a matter of time before he earns another step upstairs.”

Turning to the capture of former Ladeside favourite Anderson, he added: "Many people at the club still look back on David's midfield partnership alongside Liam McGuinness as one of the best ever seen at Valefield, so it’s exciting to think we will have the pair of them pulling the strings in the season ahead.

“His long spell out with injury at Hampden Park has only made him all the hungrier to get back to his best and, at 32 years of age, he’s still at the peak of his game so Mark Cameron and I are looking forward to working with him.

"Kilbirnie has a great tradition for playing passing football and David does it better than most, and he is also one of those names that will attract other top players to come here.”

Swift’s remaining two acquisitions are the central defensive pair of ex-Albion Rovers captain Ciaran Donnelly and Michael O’Byrne from Linlithgow Rose.

Said the Ladeside boss: “Scoring goals was not the treason we found ourselves under threat of relegation last time as we finished fifth-top scorers in the Super Premier.

“Our biggest problem came at the other end of the pitch where we never kept a clean sheet in the league until mid-March and, for that very reason, we have prioritised the signings of strong and experienced defensive types Ciaran and Michael.

“I’m confident they are types who will help plug the gaps and also motivate the other guys around them.”

Anyone interested in any open-to-transfer Kilbirnie players should contact secretary Gordon Ronney on 07889 403298.

Meanwhile, Clydebank appear resigned to losing winger Ian Gold, who is reported to be joining Gus MacPherson's Queen's Park.