'I've been involved in fitness for 20 years' - Lanark United co boss Simon Eeles working players harder in training in bid to climb table

So it’s perhaps no surprise that – since being appointed United co gaffer last month – the players’ fitness and results have improved.

"A wee change is sometimes good for boys,” said Eeles, who along with Andy Soutar replaced Colin Slater in the Moor Park hotseat. “I think they’ve responded quite well to what we’re asking them to do, a bit of fitness work.

"That’s what I do. I’ve been involved in fitness for 20 years.

"I always pride myself on getting people to reach good fitness levels so my team needs to reflect that as well.

"It’s not been thrashing the boys, we’ve just been training them smart and hard on Monday and Wednesday nights and they’ve done well.

"The boys hadn’t had a pre-season when we came in at first so you could tell they were behind with fitness levels and the boys were the first to admit they were nowhere near fit enough. They knew they had to work a bit harder and that’s what they’ve been doing.”

United – whose Moor Park stands were wrecked by the 80mph gusts of Storm Arwen on November 27 – were unable to play their last scheduled Conference C fixture at home to Neilston on December 18, despite a major clear up operation, as the stadium was still deemed unsafe for supporters to attend.

“One of the poles – a concrete stone one – hadn’t been moved,” Eeles said. “One was hanging in a bit of a precarious position above the groundsman’s shed.

"It was hanging over the changing rooms almost so it was unfortunate that the company was not able to move it in time.

"It was disappointing not to get a game because we had obviously had a good result against Renfrew and we were looking to build on that.

"We have a gap until mid January now until our next home game so it gives us plenty time to get it all sorted.”

United, bottom of the table with eight points from 20 games, are next in league action at East Kilbride Thistle on Saturday, January 8.