JUST over a week since the change of the coaching staff at Kirklands, former Lairds Manager Derek Ward has spoken about the changes and his hopes for the rest of the season.

He said: "Well it all happened fairly quickly but obviously there had been one or two indicators that all was not well, you know yourself that a lot of the game these days is about results so it was not a total surprise but I still feel very much that we could have turned it around but that’s all by the by now.

"Admittedly the results were not what we wanted but perhaps the club as a whole underestimated the level in quality between the two divisions after the relegation, there is not a massive gap between the Unibond Premier and Unibond first.

"We gave it a good go though and Tony Sullivan brought in training methods that that are ahead of their time and of course we put together a good run at the end of last season to show what the squad were capable of when we avoided the automatic relegation places."

"I will always be a fan of the club and I’ll be about to take in some games, I would like to firstly thank the Chairman John Lynch for the opportunity to manage the club, it’s been an honour to manage Lairds, there are a massive list of people I’d also like to thank.

"Obviously I'd like to thank Tony Sullivan, Ian Cooke and Natalie Boardman, key members of the coaching and physio side, George Higham the Chief Executive, Donny Shields as well as all the ground staff who work tirelessly on the pitch, Toddy Wood who was always there to bend an ear and had the place running like clockwork, Gary Langley the Programme Editor and PR man who always made sure we got the news out as soon as it happened.

"Thanks also to Micky Higgins, Barry and Steve Williams all who work tirelessly for the club, the club has a unique and special following and I wish it every success for the future under Alex Hay.

"I’ve spoken to Alex since his appointment and relayed the same message, I'm sure with the players the club have, if he can keep them all fit and on the park the team will have a real good go to make the play-offs."