Budgie McGhie insists he doesn’t consider Clydebank to be promotion favourites despite coming agonizingly close last time around.

The Bankies finished just outside the coveted Super League First Division promotion places last season, ending the campaign in four spot.

The experienced gaffer made it clear he’s been around long enough to know that nothing in football is certain until a ball been kicked.

McGhie said: “I don’t see us as favourites for promotion this year. Of course our aim is to win the league and get promoted but I wouldn’t label us as favourites.

“Everybody will have their own opinions on who will be there or thereabouts, but at the minute it’s all just paper talk which frankly means nothing.

“It’s not until we get into the nitty-gritty that we’ll know who’s in contention for what, I’d say we probably won’t know how the league is shaping up until around October.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we don’t have a chance of going up, not at all, we have a chance just like everyone else in this league dose.

“I firmly believe we are capable of getting promoted, all I’m saying is we won’t know anything until the season get underway.”

McGhie is under no illusion that his side are in for another tough season with the likes of Shettleston and three-time Junior Cup winners Irvine Meadow coming down from the Super League Premier Division.

He said “Other teams are going to strengthen and we won’t know how good our opponents are until we play them.

“I’m sure Irvine Meadow will lose a lot of players after getting relegated, but they’ll still be able to attract top players due to their reputation.

“Petershill will have a strong squad and so will Shettleston who weren’t far away from staying up last year.

“Plus all the other teams who finished below us last season will be out to go one better this year so it’s not going to be easy for us to get promotion.

“It’s going to be a very competitive league next season and as I've said we won’t know who’ll be in contention for what until a balls been kicked a few times.”

Despite losing one or two players McGhie revealed that he has re-signed the majority of last season’s squad.

The Bankies boss also broke the news that he had recruited some new names to help bolster his squad ahead of the 2016/17 season getting underway.

“We’ve signed most of last season’s squad to new deals, we had a very good season last year and that’s thanks to the lads on the park.

“So to get most of them tied up for another year or so is great news, however, we have lost Ryan Homes and Graham Muir.”

“We’ve also added to the team by bringing in Andy Biddulph, Jamie Darroch and Alan Frizzell to bulk out the squad and improve it just that little bit more.”

Meanwhile, Craigroyston have become Scotland’s newest junior side after it was announced they’d be moving from the East of Scotland League to join the junior ranks.

Speaking to The Juniors.Info earlier this week Craigroyston committee member Bob Currie revealed the club was seeking a fresh challenge and that’s why they decided to make the move.

He said: “To be perfectly honest, we just needed a new challenge.

“The Lowland League has certainly decimated the East of Scotland League as far as it has taken all the top sides away.

“We just feel the need for a new challenge and just now seems the right time to do that.”