JIM HINTS AT LYNCH START

Coach Jim McInally is dropping strong hints that new striker Simon Lynch could get a starting role sooner rather than later.

The former Scotland under-21 international has admitted he still lacks match sharpness after missing much of the pre-season fitness work.

He made his Shire debut on Saturday in the 1-1 draw with Elgin City as a second half substitute but it might not be long before he is in the starting eleven.

" It's not been a great pre-season for me so far," said Simon. "It's been a bit stop-start, so first and foremost, I  want to get my fitness up over the next few weeks and fight for my place in the team and hopefully start scoring goals for The Shire,"

But the coach wants to get the best out of Simon right away, and believes one way to get him into top condition is to start giving him a game.

"With what Simon has had behind him already in his career, I  think we will need to get him fit in the team," said Jim.

"We don't have too many midweek games that we can use to get him fit. So, he can train as hard as he likes during the week and on a Saturday we can get him up to speed.

"But the best way to get him up to speed is to play him. He is a terrific player and a great finisher when he is flying, so we will get the benefit of that."