CLYDEBANK manager Gordon Moffat has revealed that it wasn’t easy for him to return to former club Rossvale and sign their star players – but he always knew he had to put the Bankies first.

The 37-year-old has brought five players to Holm Park from his previous club in his first summer as Clydebank gaffer.

‘Moff’ spent nearly two years at the Vale and guided the club to back-to-back promotions before joining the Bankies in September last year.

And he has now gone back to his former side to secure the signings of Jamie Donnelly, Frazer Johnstone, Matt Niven, Joe Slattery and Liam McGonigle – adding to the club’s first two summer signings, Ciaran Mulcahy from Benburb and former Bankie Ross McPherson, who netted 45 goals in 123 appearances in his first spell with the club.

Moffat told the Post that he knows the quality of the players that he has brought in from Rossvale.

He said: “It’s difficult going back and taking players from your former team.

“It’s not an easy thing to do but ultimately I’m the Clydebank manager now and I want to build the best team I can.

“It wasn’t really about going and taking Rossvale players, more about me finding specific players for areas that I needed to strengthen in – and it so happened that I knew some guys that could do that.

“There’s nothing in it other than trying to get the best players in Clydebank now – my team now is my focus.

“It’s not a nice thing to go and take back some former players from your old team, but ultimately it’s about looking after Clydebank.”

Goalkeeper Donnelly, 28, played more than 100 times between the sticks for Rossvale, and the Bankies boss believes that he has all the right attributes that make a good goalkeeper.

“Jamie’s consistency levels are incredible for a part-time goalkeeper,” he said.

“He keeps a lot of clean sheets, and that helps win games, but his general play and consistency of doing the basics right and marshalling a back line is really good – as good as I’ve seen at part-time level.

“He was one that we identified that we’d love to get, and we’ve been lucky enough to get.

“He takes the vocal side of his personality onto the pitch and is constantly organising.

“I’ve worked with him for a couple of seasons and he does breed confidence because he’s so assured and measured in his actions and the way he controls the game.

“He knows when to slow the game down and has all the little touches you need from a goalkeeper.”

Donnelly told Clydebank’s Twitter page that Moffat’s defensive knowledge makes him enjoyable to work for.

He said: “In the first year [at Rossvale] we won the league and had the best goals against record in the league, and the following season, where we got promotion, we ended up with the most clean sheets.

“He’s quite a pleasure to work under from a goalkeeper’s point of view.”