BANKS o’ Dee have retained the Superleague title following Sunnybank’s 3-1 defeat at Dyce Juniors.
Dee boss Garry Welsh broke the news to his players as they prepared for Friday night’s McLeman Cup final against Hermes, and he admitted the celebrations were very low key.
He said: “It was quite strange because we had to wait for the best part of a week. We knew that Dyce were winning with 10 minutes to go and we told the players after they came in from training.
“But while we congratulated each other and there were a lot of happy faces, the celebrations weren’t over the top because we have a cup final on Friday, but it was still a very nice feeling.”
The Spain Park side led the way for most of the season and Welsh admitted that it was tougher to win the title as defending champions, but refuted claims that Sunnybank threw the title away.
He said: “After winning the league for the first time in 20 years last season, it was always going to be difficult as we were going to be the team that everyone wanted to beat, and the points total of 56 – which was five points less than last season – reflects that.
“Every team has dips and highs in their season and could say if only we could have done this or that. It wasn’t as if a team surrendered a 10 or 12-point lead.
“It evens itself out over the course of the season and we won it on merit.
“Possibly the turning point was when Sunnybank lost at home to Maud with four games to go, because we had a very strong finish to the season and the players deserve a lot of credit for making the most of the opportunity that was given to them.”
Missing out on a place in the Highland League came as a big blow for Dee midway through the season and Welsh admitted that it did have a negative affect on the players.
He said: “It affected us, even though I wouldn’t admit it publicly at the time. It did have a negative affect on everyone at the club.
“It showed in our performance at Culter later that week, as we were very flat that day, but it was just one of the many highs and lows of the season.
“It’s been a strange campaign in many ways. Obviously missing out on the Highland League was a big low, but we also had many highs, with winning the league and the run we had in the Aberdeenshire Shield with the performances against Buckie and Huntly and even in the final against Cove. It was something different for the players.”
The Spain Park gaffer has already started planning for next season as they attempt to make it three-in-a-row and have another crack at the Homecoming Scottish Cup, and he revealed that plans are well under way to strengthen the squad.
He said: “We have lost Gordon Carstairs to Deveronvale, and while he will be a big miss, we haven’t had him for the last few months due to the serious knee injury he picked up, so we have learned to play without him.
“Ross McWilliam, who was bought to replace him, has done very well and scored some important goals for us.
“We’ll be looking to bring in four players for next season. We are a wee bit light defensively and we haven’t been as good at the back as we were last season and we are well down the line to bring in someone from outwith the region.
“We are also looking to add a wee bit more creativity in the midfield and with Gordon going, we will also be looking to bring in someone else up-front.”
Welsh also revealed that compensation has yet to be agreed with the Banff side for the transfer of Carstairs, and there is a possibility that a tribunal may yet have to decide on the figure.
He said: “Deveronvale have offered us a sum which we have knocked back. We feel that it doesn’t even come close to Gordon’s value. If we can’t reach an agreement then it will go to a tribunal at the SFA.”