CAPTAIN Sean Paliczka believes his Gala Fairydean Rovers team-mates should hold their heads high after last Saturday’s Scottish Cup exit.

And he has warned that his Netherdale side will be even better next season.

The former Berwick Rangers and Raith Rovers striker has watched his team rise from the ashes of a summer of disputes at Netherdale to take a foothold in the hierarchy of Scottish non-league football.

The 29-year-old from Edinburgh, who was a childhood friend of manager Steven Noble, told us: “People forget that Steven only had nine or ten signed players a fortnight before the Lowland League. Our pre-season, for all sorts of reasons, started much later than everyone elses.

“We’ve come a long way in a short space of time and, I think, we’ll just keep getting better.

“We could maybe have done better against Clyde but they are a really good team and we weren’t all that far behind them.” Paliczka believes his mate and manager has gathered the ingredients for a team who can challenge in Lowland Leagues of the future – and also enjoy further Scottish Cup success.

He added: “We have some good, experienced players like John Dodds, Stuart Noble and Jason Inglis who have played at a higher level – and then you have some raw young boys like Marc Berry, David Bonnar, Dean McColm and Craig McBride who have bags of talent and will improve.

“There are new young boys coming through all the time here and it all looks good for the future.

“We’re all disappointed to be out the Scottish Cup but we’ll back for more next year.”