AUCHINLECK Talbot boss Tommy Sloan insists the club need to establish themselves in the new West of Scotland Football League before they set their eyes on promotion up the Scottish football pyramid.

The East Ayrshire side have won the old Juniors West of Scotland Premiership in six of the last eight seasons.

They will enter the new campaign as one of the favourites to win the new Tier 6 of Scottish football which allows them promotion into the Lowland League.

And while that’s something that obviously excites Tucker, he is adamant nobody at Talbot will be getting too far ahead of themselves.

He told the Chronicle: “Obviously that’s everybody’s aim but we need to establish ourselves in the new set up first and foremost.

“Let’s get it started and see what we can do from there.

“But we’re not looking too far in front being honest. Of course we want to be progressing up the leagues and playing the so called bigger teams, but it’s all about achieving short term targets.

“We’ve got to establish ourselves in our own league, especially when it’s a fresh start for all of the teams.”

Tucker also revealed that COVID-19 has played havoc with his recruitment plans – as it has for many sides.

He added: “We’ve not signed any new players yet. I’ve just got the same squad and it will stay that way until I can get a look at players and speak to people face-to-face.

“We’ve always brought fresh faces in during the summer, so it’s not normal circumstances.

“What we’re still waiting on is an official start date to work towards.

“Training needs to be geared with a date in mind, normally the first game. That’s the stumbling point. You can’t just train constantly without aiming for a certain point.

“We’ll see what nick some of them are in this week and then we’ll wait until we get a start date before planning the rest.

“I’m not keen on bringing boys into training without having something to work towards. I think that’s really important.

“It’s going to be a bit different but we’ll do what we can but everyone is in the same position.”