BENBURB manager Frank Lovering says his team can still burn brightly on the park after just avoiding disaster off it.

On the down side for the Govan club, their Tinto Park ground has been damaged by fire, which led to fears the Bens would be put out of business.

However, it turns out the situation was not as bad as first feared.

Lovering said: "The blaze was contained to our old social club.

"The worry was it might have spread to the pavilion and dressing rooms in which case we'd have been forced to look at ground sharing or worse.

"The most disappointing aspect is having this as a backdrop when things are looking up on the pitch with just about everyone of last season's squad agreeing to sign again."

The long-serving gaffer added: "Keeping all the guys on board surprised me as I felt certain Stevie Waddell and the Jackson twins, Shane and Chris, would be prime targets for other clubs.

"Stevie has an outstanding scoring record that has not gone unnoticed, while Shane and Chris are top Juniors capable of holding a regular place with most clubs.

"The fact they are pledging themselves to another season at the Bens speaks volumes about the work going on behind the scenes.

"Although nobody at this club would claim we are the best footballing team around, I can say these players have few peers when it comes to giving all-out commitment.

"The key now is to inject a touch of freshness from a few new faces because if we can just tweak things, I feel we might not be far away come the promotion reckoning.

"It's early days but already the signs are it's going to be a very competitive league again. Both Shettleston and Cambuslang Rangers have indicated their intent with several big-name signings.

"And I would imagine Larkhall Thistle will be leading contenders having just missed out by a point last season."

His desire to improve on Benburb's eighth placing has had Lovering cast the net far and wide for players and so far he has confirmed deals for two new signings, Ross Barr (Renfrew) and Ryan McQuarrie (Glasgow Amateurs) who was with Dunfermline.

The Bens boss said: "Several other players have come in to do pre-season, most notably the former Neilston and Pollok midfielder Richie Newall who has been away from the game for close on four years.

"He's not committing himself to making a playing comeback but it would be a real feather in our cap to get in someone of his experience."

Elsewhere, there is no sign of a let-up in the transfer raids on Central First Division outfit Glasgow Perthshire, who lost Andy Gibson, Paul Craig and Paul Frize to Beith early into the close season.

The latest confirmed exit is of front-man Davie Kirkwood, who has moved to Ashfield hard on the heels of Andy McEwan signing for Kilsyth Rangers and defender Sean Stirling joining Renfrew.