Yoker Athletic co-manager Peter McKenna was delighted to see ‘Mr Yoker’ Gary Bissland sign up again for next season – and has admitted fearing he was going to lose his captain.

Bissland will turn out for the Holm Park side for a staggering 16th season as the club moves into the new West of Scotland Football League set-up.

McKenna told the Post this week that getting ‘Bis’ signed up was at the top of the management team’s close season priority list – and believes the move to the new league has given the veteran midfielder a reason to stay on.

“This is his 16th year at the club,” McKenna said. “He is Mr Yoker.

“If it didn’t change to the new league this year, I think Gary would have retired, but I think he wants a wee crack at the new set-up.

“We were always going to try and keep him for another year.

“He’s the first one we wanted to get signed up again.

“We want him part of the group and he’s really looking forward to it.”

The Whe Ho have managed to secure the signatures of much of last season’s squad, including top scorer Gregor Cree as well as David Crerand.

Signing hometown players is something that bosses McKenna and Tommy Montgomery want to do and the former was pleased to see the duo signed up once more.

“To get them signed up is brilliant, with the goals Gregor scores,” McKenna added, “and David is just an overall brilliant footballer.

“That’s three local boys signed up along with Gary which is something we want.”

Another busy week on the contract front for the Whe Ho has seen striker Scott Miller, who moved to Yoker midway through last season, commit to another campaign at Holm Park.

The club has also announced the signings of frontman Kyle Maxwell and midfielder Ross McDonald, as well as the capture of attacking midfielder Scott Gallacher from Vale of Leven.