Lesmahagow boss Robert Irving frustrated at missing out on Liam Coogans

The ’Gow gaffer ‘signed’ Coogans three weeks ago but was stunned last week when the former Edusport Academy ace (22) jumped ship to join Championship side St Roch’s instead.

The Glasgow outfit pounced as Coogans had signed for ’Gow as a professional and hadn’t been registered as a junior.

The Craighead Park side were due to do that last Monday night but it never happened.

Gutted gaffer Irving told the Carluke and Lanark Gazette: “Liam had already signed for us but then he phoned me around 3pm last Monday – it was our first day of pre-season training later that day – and said he had the chance to sign for a senior club.

“I asked him what club it was and he said he couldn’t say.

“Then three days later I saw that he had signed for St Roch’s, who are not a senior club.

“So I’m disappointed with Liam’s conduct.

“It is very difficult to sign players you can trust.

“If Liam had been honest and said to me: ‘I would like to go to St Roch’s’ then I would have told him to go.

“It was poor that he didn’t come to training last Monday – when we were going to reinstate him at junior level – and then joined a rival team instead.”