Arbroath boss Paul Sheerin has revealed he will be pulling on his boots once more next season despite hitting the big 40 in August.
The Gayfield gaffer is looking to take the Red Lichties straight back up to League One after the bitter disappointment of experiencing relegation for the first time in his career earlier this month.
He admits he has a whole host of positions to fill at the club. However, he is certain he will be making himself available despite the impending “torture” of pre-season training and his milestone birthday.
Sheerin said: “The squad is taking shape but it is always fairly slow at this time of the year. We will have to be patient in some areas but we do have a list of targets and we have spoken to people already.
“We are looking to build slowly but surely. There are several areas we have to strengthen and I am looking for a goalkeeper, two centre-halves, a central midfielder and a striker.
“I also plan to keep going for another year as a player, although the thought of pre-season is a daunting one.”
One of the players Sheerin would like to bring in is former Gayfield favourite Steven Doris who despite having a year still to run on his contract with Dundee is free to find another club.
However, the manager was realistic enough to admit that it would be difficult persuading the striker to return to part-time football.
He said: “We would obviously be interested in bringing Steven back to the club. He was great for us before he signed for Dundee.
“I believe he is free to find another club but having had a taste of full-time football it might be difficult for him to go back part-time again.”