Clark prepares for QoS League Cup Opener amid transfer hunt

QUEEN of the South player-manager Nicky Clark is refusing to panic buy, insisting that any new signings at Palmerston must actively improve the squad.

The Doonhamers wrapped up their public pre-season schedule with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Crusaders last weekend ahead of their first competitive match this Saturday at home to Kelty Hearts in the League Cup.

Taylor Charters opened the scoring for Queens, but the visitors rallied to overturn the deficit.
The match highlighted a glaring issue for the Dumfries side, the squad is currently operating on thin numbers.

With the competitive season looming, Clark was candid about the club’s current re- cruitment struggles.
Transitioning from pitch to dugout has given Clark a brand-new perspective on the summer transfer scramble.

“I’ve never been on the man- ager side of things during a transfer window,” Clark admitted.

“I’ve always been on the player’s side, so it’s interesting to experience it. I’m enjoying it still, but there’s a lot of work to do.”

That work involves relentless hours on the phone. Alongside his staff, Clark is actively engaging with targets and agents to break the current recruitment stalemate.

Clark added: “The squad is light, but there’s a lot of work going on in the background.

“It’s not easy, there’s no hiding away from that. Recruit- ment is probably the hardest part of the job, but we’re working our backsides off. Hopefully, this week there’ll be some new faces at the club.”

Despite the pressing need for depth, Clark is adamant that he will not sign players just to fill seats on the bench.

For the player-manager, tactical progression outweighs simple numerical volume. “It’s important we get more bodies in, but players who come in and improve the team.

“We could just get four or five players in who aren’t going to make any difference to the team – there’s no point in doing that. We need ones who are going to progress the team and make us better.”

Queens kick off their competitive campaign at home to Kelty Hearts in the League Cup group stages.
While some managers view the early cup rounds as an ex- tension of pre-season, Clark rejects that mindset entirely.

He expects his light squad to be fully prepared to fight for a place in the knockout rounds.

Clark said: “I don’t think the season has come too quickly. We’ll be raring to go.

“This is a competition we want to do well in. There’s no easy games, and it’s one we will prepare for.”

Analysing the upcoming opposition, Clark noted that Kelty Hearts are likely enduring the same summer rebuilding anxieties.

However, the focus remains firmly on what Queen of the South can control.

He said: “We’ll see what Kelty’s dangers are this week and show the boys where we can go hurt and expose them. We need to go and win. We want to progress out of the group, but we know it’s going to be hard.”