It’s the not knowing that’s undoubtedly the hardest part for Petershill manager Martin Lauchlan.

Not knowing if the thumbs up will be given for the West of Scotland Football League's inaugural season to go ahead, with or without fans in attendance.

Not knowing if a radical clean sweep of his dressing room - 18 of last season’s playing squad have departed and 24 newcomers have arrived - will bring about  a strong Conference C title challenge.

And crucially, not knowing whether the famous old Glasgow club’s very existence in their Springburn and Townhead heartlands, where they were founded way back in 1897, can continue to be safeguarded under his watch following a devastating financial blow wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The lockdown restrictions imposed on the New Petershill Park complex back in March have shown little sign of easing and word on the grapevine reckons landlords Glasgow Life's headache over how to meet staffing costs going forward has allegedly resulted in an agreement being brokered that will see Partick Thistle Community Trust (ironically managed by former Peasy assistant manager and current St Roch's gaffer Paul Kelly) assume responsibilities for the running of the leisure facility.

Locky revealed: "I’ve been told Glasgow Life are gifting the complex to the Thistle Trust but thankfully we at Petershill will still get the use of the pitch for training and games, however the arrangement is not going through until January so we are without a home base until then which is anything but ideal in a playing sense as well as financially crippling for a club like ours.  

"Not having anywhere to train the guys and needing to curtail costs as much as possible has restricted our pre-season preparations to nothing other than playing friendly matches and it's only this week that we have brought the players together for our first sessions through at the Crownpoint complex.

"They will be all the better for a few stiff workouts rather than 45 and 30-minute cameo appearances in games up to now but I truly believe all our conditioning work will be rendered futile exercises if we cannot return to the normal of playing games in front of paying supporters.

"Hiring a pitch costs in the £175 region and a match referee on his own will set the club back a further £60, so where do these monies come from if there is no income from punters coming through the turnstiles?

"If clubs do vote to restart this month then what limited funds many of them have available will be gone by the turn of the year and what do we all do then is the question needing answered... I fear the worst."

Former Stirling Albion striker Keiran Campbell, Fraser Team, Chrissy Hall and Ronan Sweeney(2) were on target as Petershill ran out 5-3 winners against Carluke Rovers in a  friendly outing last weekend that followed on from a previous mixed bag of  pre-season results against Cumbernauld Colts (0-2), Clyde (0-1), Glasgow University (3-0) and Harmony Row (3-1).

The Peasy manager insisted: "We’ve brought in practically a new playing squad and have been unable to work on combinations or playing systems on the training ground so I’m reasonably happy with how things have been going, even though I was far from pleased at the loss of three goals to Carluke.

“The plan now is to work on things this week and at sessions arranged for next Monday and Wednesday which hopefully should bring a desired improvement for our tester against Rutherglen Glencairn which is going ahead on Friday 17th October.”

Taking part in the Peasy training-ground routines with a view to putting pen to paper on a contract is winger Adam Strachan, battling back to fitness following a horrific broken leg and whose former WOSFL clubs include Clydebank, Glenafton and Irvine Meadow as well as Lowland League side East Kilbride during Lauchlan's stint in charge at the K Park.

And if all goes according to plan then Strachan will not be the only familiar face for the Peasy faithful as a trio of their former players have been snapped up from playing stints with Cumbernauld United… namely Hall, Jordan Murch, and Paul Callander while also on board are a couple of Lauchlan's former Rossvale proteges in Corey Irvine and versatile defender Craig McGregor.

Campbell and exciting winger Sweeney (East Stirling) have come on board from the Senior ranks, while other new faces include goalkeeper Marc Waters (Clydebank) and the Caledonian Braves duo of Jack Breslin and Craig Quinn.

Locky added: "Teams of mine tend to be strong running and capable of playing at a very high tempo however there is always the requirement for players who can put their foot on the ball and that's where Murch and Callander will come into their own.

"And bringing Hall to our forward line was vital to our plans because there is nobody better in my book than Chrissy for taking the ball in under pressure and bringing others into play with subtle flicks.

"Sweeney has also looked the part in our games so far and his direct approach will make him a favourite of our supporters… providing they get to see him play of course."

Despite their numerous changes, Petershill are rated one of the favourites to top the Conference C pile however Locky considers the tag should belong to rivals Drumchapel United.

He said: "Showing their intentions with the acquisition of Darian MacKinnon raised a lot of eyebrows but every bit as important were their signings of Michael Hardie from ourselves, ex-St Johnstone defender Willie Dyer and former Junior internationalist Cieran McElroy who are all top-rated players at this level and I expect the Drum to be there or thereabouts in the promotion stakes."