FORMER Renfrew captain Graham Mort has thanked his hometown club for their support as he moves on to pastures new with Clydebank in the Super Premier League.

Mort leaves ‘Frew following a second spell, during which he was appointed captain of the Western Park side. The 26-year-old had previously resisted offers to the top flight but following relegation last season Mort admitted it was the right time for a change.

He told Gazette Sport: “Being from Renfrew, it has been a fantastic honour to represent my local club.

“Both the managers Colin (Clark) and Martin (Ferry) have been brilliant with me throughout my time here and have wished me all the best for the future.

“They both told me Clydebank is a fantastic opportunity for me and that I should take it.

“I would like to thank them for the opportunity and it has been a pleasure working with them both, they are great managers and I am sure Renfrew will bounce back very soon.” Despite the recent relegation to the Central District First, the centre back insisted he enjoyed his second spell at the club, adding: “It has been very enjoyable and I loved my time at Renfrew.

“But it is time for a change of scenery and this is a great chance for me to test myself in the top division.

“It has been great to be captain, it has helped me develop and I would say it helped me mature as a player so it has been a pleasure, the club have helped me a lot in my time.” And, Mort insisted he believes Renfrew will be back up the leagues in no time following a difficult campaign last season.

He said: “It was a hard season, the club had no money to spend and it was a young team so we knew it was always going to be hard.

“We needed a striker and I think if we had that then we would have probably managed to stay up but I genuinely expect them to come straight back up.

“There are a great set of guys there and Colin and Martin will be looking to get the most out of them so I hope they do well.”