'It has never happened before': Thornton Hibs boss Craig Gilbert thrilled with ease of 11 players signing contract extensions

Top scorer Garry Thomson and long-serving Stuart Drummond have both committed to the Memorial Park club until June 2026, while staying until June 2025 are Lee Horsburgh, Harris Duffy, Max Coleman, Robbie Hall, Robbie Westwaters, Andy McCallion, Dean McMillan, Sean Cunningham and Andrew Adam.

"I am delighted to have signed so many guys on contract extensions," Gilbert said. "I got them last Monday on the training ground when there was drizzle and rain.

"I just pulled them out one by one as they were training. One of the coaches was going off his nut, but he couldn't really say no when I was confronting him at a training session.

"It was like a snowball effect. the players were like sheep, one signed, a second one signed and the third one signed.

"Out of a 23 or 24-man squad I think everybody will re-sign. It is good because there are usually one or two that drop off but they are all keen or hardy.

"It has never happened before in all my years as manager.

"What I usually do is in February I kind of start drip feeding them because the paperwork is pretty tough and takes a lot of time up.

"I do the paperwork as well online, I don't give it to the secretary. I drip feed it to the SFA so I usually do two or three a week.

"But this week I just said: 'Stuff it' and I got about 10 in one night. That's a personal best.

"It can be difficult trying to negotiate new contracts but I never really had to speak to the players much this time, they just came over and signed.

"I had given them a wee head's up two or three days before, saying I was going to start speaking to people to re-sign for next season.

"The young boys have kind of been good, we have recruited pretty well.

"Most of the boys are on board with what we're doing. They've obviously seen us winning quite a few games.

"They're young. The good thing about it is all the young boys know each other and they're kind of grown up together. It's been very, very positive."

Thornton, whose scheduled home East of Scotland League second division fixture against Edinburgh South last Saturday was postponed due to an unplayable pitch, visit 13th-placed Tweedmouth Rangers in the league this Saturday with kick-off at 2.30pm.

"Tweedmouth have been very hard to beat,” Gilbert said. “They now play at Berwick Rangers' park as their own park is geeting run by the women's team and kids' teams.

"So we'll be at Shielfield which is better because the regular Tweedmouth pitch is kind of small and on a hill.

"Tweedmouth have improved vastly. They've won two and drawn one of their last three games and they are always decent."