East Fife's Under-19 squad is to be scrapped for one season as the club revises its youth structure.
EAST Fife's under-19 squad will be scrapped for one season as the club looks to build a solid youth set-up for the future.
Boss Dave Baikie confirmed the move this week and said the existing under-19 players being kept on by the club would be far
med out on loan to local junior sides.
In 2007, the under-19s lifted the Youth League Cup, beating Livingston on penalties. However, with the first team squad performing so well in the Third Division, none of the players were able to force their way into the senior side.
Baikie said: "With no disrespect to the players or the coaches of the under-19s, the squad wasn't bringing much fruition.
"We were having to take players being released from other clubs and having to play them together, because we don't have the set-up, so we've decided to leave it for a year.
"What we want to have here is a full youth set-up with teams starting at under-13s and going right up to under 19s, so the coaches will be working on that this year.
"We just felt it would be best to start up a new system.
"We also have an assault on the Second Division next season, so we need our resources for that.
"But we're keeping on Andrew Stobie, Jordyn Sheerin, Johnny Mcrae, Darren Thomson and Lucas Lava, who we'll be farming out to junior clubs."
The manager added so far this week there had been no major developments with bringing in new players to the squad, but did say he was still "making enquiries", although there was nothing concrete.
The proposed pre-season friendly with Luton Town may also have to be scrapped, as Baikie hasn't yet received confirmation that the English side will be able to visit Bayview.
"Mick Harford was due to phone me over the weekend but I never heard anything," said Baikie. "It's kind of up in the air at the moment because they're in administration.
"We have four friendlies lined up already but I'd like to get a fifth one for that week.
"I was speaking to a coach at Dundee United recently, so if the Luton game doesn't go ahead, there's the possibility we could play them."
