CLYDEBANK manager Budgie McGhie admits he is gutted the Bankies failed to achieve promotion.

In a four-way battle for the two automatic promotion spots and one play-off spot in the Super League First Division, Clydebank are the team to lose out and are set for another season out of the top flight.

McGhie is devastated for the players and fans but conceded a lack of killer instinct in several games has cost Clydebank.

He said: “I’m gutted for the players, the supporters and the people who run the club because I think we’ve had quite a good season considering the changes we had last summer and the age of the squad.

“The performance on Wednesday was disappointing. The first half we didn’t play to our normal standard but we got the equaliser in the second half and just couldn’t get the winner.

“But it doesn’t look like a win would’ve made any difference. It’s not Wednesday that killed us, if you look at the table we’ve lost less games than Kilwinning and Cumnock but we’ve drawn eight games and four or five of those we really should have won.

“We weren’t as clinical as our rivals in certain games.”

McGhie’s attention now turns to securing his players on deals to keep them at the club next season.

With such a young squad, McGhie is hopeful that keeping most of them together for another season will reap rewards for both the players and Clydebank.

But he is under no illusions that the eye-catching performances of the likes of wide man Mark Burbidge and top scorer Nicky Little, among others, will have drawn some admiring glances from other clubs.

He said: “I think it would be good if we could keep the squad together but I’m sure a lot of them will have offers to go elsewhere so that will be their call.

“We would hope to keep this squad and add a few, we’ll find out a bit more in the next few weeks.

“No-one has said to me they have offers elsewhere and they won’t be at Clydebank next season but that could be the case.”