RENFREW boss Martin Ferry admits his side have struggled to cope with the constant rebuilding of the squad after they fell to their fourth straight defeat at the hands of Greenock.

Frew have failed to get a run of form going all season and find themselves sitting second bottom of the table with seven games remaining and Ferry believes that the loss of several key players in the close season meant survival was always going to be struggle before a ball was even kicked.

He said: “To say it has been a hard season would be putting it politely.

“We don’t have the money to compete with the teams in the league who can pay players a lot more than us. The likes of Troon, Cumbernauld and Shotts will always be able to outbid us — leaving us to look for players elsewhere in the under-21s and amateurs.

“We lost a goalkeeper, a centre half, two midfielders and a predator up top so we have had to basically start again with players who have little to no experience of the juniors and they have had to learn the hard way.” However, with the recent announcement of a new stadium for Renfrew close to their current home at Western Park, Ferry hopes the move will spark some life into the struggling club.

Part of the plans for the new ground include an all weather 4g pitch, which the Renfrew boss hopes will entice players to come and play for Renfrew.

He added: “The park will hopefully make a big difference to the club’s fortunes. It would be good to see it when its all done.

“Most players these days like to play on these pitches, which are fantastic compared to the old astroturf pitches that I played on.

“Hopefully players will see the ambition of the club, see the facilities and decide that Renfrew will be a good move for them. The new pitch will also help the side we have right now as they like to get the ball down and play.”