Brian Kerr says he is ready to rise to the challenge of following in Darren Young’s footsteps at Albion Rovers, and take the club on to the next level.

The former Newcastle United and Motherwell midfielder made the step up from his post in charge of the Rovers’ under-20s when Young left his position at the end of the season.

He faces a huge rebuilding job over the summer as he looks to build a squad capable of competing in League One, but he is hoping that he can carry on the good work of his predecessor, and perhaps even challenge for promotion.

“When I came into the club it was with a view to taking over at some point, because Darren did very well and the feeling was that he would eventually move on to bigger and better things,” Kerr said.

“Obviously the change has come a little bit quicker than was anticipated, but I am more than ready for the challenge that lies ahead.

“I know that I have a difficult act to follow. I think Darren was the most successful manager that the club has ever had, so that just tells you that I have big shoes to fill.

“I’m confident though that I can carry on the good work that he did here. 

“I have my own vision for the club and my own ideas about how we can move forward, and work is already well underway to build a really competitive squad for next season.

“We may not be able to offer players the biggest money, but hopefully we can make them see that this is an environment that will help improve them as players.

“We want hungry players here. If people are wanting to come in just to wind down their careers then that’s no good for us.

“We want people with something to prove, and if players are prepared to come here and give their all, then from our side we will provide a great shop window for their talents.

“If one of our players does well and attracts interest and moves back up the ladder, then great. Everybody wins.”

Young led Rovers to an eighth-place finish in League One last season, and finished in sixth in their maiden campaign in the division the previous year after securing the League Two title.

While Kerr was reluctant to send out any gung-ho messages over what Rovers can achieve this season, he doesn’t see any barrier to them punching above their weight yet again.

“First and foremost, survival has to be the aim, but I am certainly more ambitious than that for this club,” he said.

“I don’t see any reason why we can’t be challenging for promotion, whether that’s through the play-offs or not.

“Why not? We weren’t a million miles away in the last couple of years, and we are now more than familiar with what is required in this division.

“I’m not saying that we are going to go and win the league, but we feel that we can certainly compete, and who knows where that might take us?”

Kerr’s experience of coaching the club’s youngsters gives him optimism that he may be able to promote some of his former players into the first-team set-up, as Rovers look to strengthen their identity as a club who can develop their own local talent.

“There are quite a few that I think can make the step up,” he said.

“It’s up to the players themselves to show me that they are hungry to get into the first team and there will certainly be no barrier to them if they show the proper attitude, because the talent is there.

“If we can develop our own players it helps massively, because we don’t have a huge budget.

“We are keen to develop our own identity as a club, and I see youth development at the heart of that.”