The Bully Wee endured a frustrating season which ended with them missing out on a play-off place under manager Danny Lennon, finishing in fifth place in the League Two table.
It was a very different story last summer when new Chairman Norrie Innes headhunted Jim Chapman from Annan Athletic as their new manager and they went into the season as one of the title favourites with a strong squad.
He was given just 11 league matches however before being sacked; having won just two of them and Innes replaced him with former St Mirren boss Lennon. He dispensed with several of the players inherited from Chapman and had an immediate impact on the defence, but a series of draws led to fears of another downward spiral into a relegation battle.
Suddenly they found their form and ten victories in 13 matches saw them soar into a play-off push. They were unable to sustain that form however and eventually missed on a play-off place by just three points.
There may be an air of positivity around the Broadwood Stadium but that isn’t shared in the wider world of Scottish football with the club having come under heavy criticism for continuing to employ striker David Goodwillie after his appeal against a civil ruling that he committed rape in 2011 was thrown out by judges. He finished as the club’s leading goalscorer with 22 goals and was voted player of the season.
If that controversy wasn’t enough, winger Ally Love received a five-match ban from the SFA after racially-abusing Annan Athletic winger Rabin Omar, but was welcomed back with minimum censure.
Lennon will be looking to secure some more exciting young loan signings from big club this summer whilst also looking to make some quality signings of players with a proven track record.
