'They're top players at this level' - Gala Fairydean Rovers boss Martin Scott delighted as Zander Murray and Gareth Rodger sign contract extensions

“Zander signing is an important one for us because we know that other clubs were interested in him,” Scott said.

“We probably know that financially it could be more lucrative for him to go elsewhere and maybe closer to home as well, so it’s great to get Zander over the line, and it shows you the commitment he’s got to Gala as well.

“He’s enjoying his football and sometimes that’s more important.

“Gareth also potentially could have gone elsewhere to play football on more lucrative deals within the league, but he has shown his dedication to Gala and he’s enjoying his football.

“They're top players at this level and we are moving in the right direction. Sometimes we have suffered this season, but I think we’ll be better for it going forward and stronger next season.”

Striker Murray, 25, has been at Gala since September 2019 and defender Rodger, 28, since January 2020.

After we went to press on Wednesday, Rovers were hosting Bo’ness United in their penultimate Scottish Lowland Football League fixture of the season.

The Galashiels side’s league campaign will end at home to Stirling University next Tuesday night, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

“We want to try and accumulate as many points as we can and finish the season on a positive, but we need to take the cup competition into consideration,” Scott said.

“Our squad is a little bit thin at the moment so we’ve got to be careful with how we approach games and box clever.

“It will be an opportunity for guys to get game-time that maybe haven’t played in the last couple of weeks, and it’s up to them to go and show that they’re worthy of a place in the starting XI for the cup final. They’ve got quite a lot to play for.

“There’s potential that I could possibly help out the squad in terms of if we’re giving some guys a rest, I might get some game-time, but it’s been working out well, and obviously the addition of Kyle Wilkie in the middle of the park has given us that bit of composure in there.

“I played with him at Livingston in the Championship. He’s been a good addition.”