Jambos halfway to safety

Fans have responded to a plea from administrators Bryan Jackson and Trevor Birch last week to snap up briefs that will help them to plug a £750,000 shortfall.

Birch said: “The response has been absolutely tremendous and we are grateful to everyone who has supported the club.

“Selling more than 1,500 season tickets in just over a week is hugely encouraging.

“We’re not out of the woods yet, but every ticket we sell buys us much-needed time to secure the club’s future.

“We’re all heading in the right direction and we need to keep the momentum going.”

The SFA are expected to launch their own disciplinary proceedings after the club broke strict insolvency rules, but boss Gary Locke reckons a 15-point deduction is punishment enough.

Among the penalties the governing body could hand out are a censure, fine or extended signing ban.

Locke said: “We’ve been punished — and rightly so. I’m not going to make excuses but do we have to get punished for the same thing twice?”

Locke will also have to prepare for the new campaign without the help of an assistant.

The club can’t afford to replace former No 2 Edgaras Jankauskas, who left last month after less than a year in the role.

Locke added: “I will just crack on with it. I need to do my best with the situation as it stands and hopefully that is good enough.”