"The nock are not here to make up the numbers"

The Nock boss says he is excited about the new league format, which is due to start in October.

The move means all WoS Premier teams will have the chance to gain promotion to the Lowland League.

And this is something that McInally believes various ‘ambitious’ clubs in the division will relish – including Cumnock.

He told the Chronicle: “It’s exciting that we’re now a senior club setup and Cumnock FC are geared up to that. We’re working towards our SFA licence for that. Our stadium is fit for purpose, we’ve got floodlights and the size of pitch.

“ I think there’s some minor things we need to fully achieve it but we as a club are ready for senior football and we’re looking forward to the challenge.

“I don’t agree with how they’re going to have 37 per cent of the top division team relegated in the first season. I think that’s an awful lot. I think it’s harsh and uncalled for.

“It’s good we’ve got more teams coming in and there is a freshness about it.

“We’re still in the dark about whether it’s going to be a 38-game league season or 19, with 10 games at home and nine matches away.

“It puts increased pressure on every single team to put a decent run of wins together and really hit the ground running from the first whistle.

“The new West of Scotland Football League setup is great for ambitious clubs like ourselves though as we can strive to move forwards into the Lowland League and beyond.

“If you look at the WoSFL as it stands right now, if you imagine ten years into the future, I reckon you’ll see between eight to ten clubs up into the Lowland League at least.

“The quality of our league is greater and we can without a doubt compete at that level.

“A lot of the junior clubs do have ambition, and it presents a tremendous challenge that we’ll all really look forward to. I know I can’t wait.

“I’m ambitious to make Cumnock as big and successful as we possibly can.”