Montrose boss Stewart Petrie has praised former Dundee United skipper Sean Dillon for the influence he has had on and off the pitch since joining the Angus club.
The Irish defender had no shortage of offers after leaving Tannadice at the end of last season following 10 years with the Tangerines.
The Scottish Cup winner was courted by clubs in divisions above League 2 Montrose but ultimately he decided to opt for Links Park on June 30.
And Petrie could not hide his delight at what the 34-year-old Scottish Cup winner has brought to the table.
He said: “Sean has been outstanding since he came in.
“He has done so much in the game and whenever I asked anyone about him, I received nothing but glowing references.
“He has certainly lived up to them, being a great influence on and off the park.
“Sean played an important role along with the other senior lads in helping us win our first league game on Saturday.
“He will also help out with the coaching but overall Sean is just a great lad and I am delighted with his contribution to the club so far.”
That opening -day away win came against Edinburgh City with Petrie delighted with the three points especially as his squad was decimated because of injury and suspension.
He said: “I am over the moon considering we had nine lads missing.
“That is testament though to the guys who did play that we managed to come away from a tricky away venue with all three points.
“Graham Webster and Paul Watson were suspended after picking up cautions in the play-offs last season which is something I do not agree with. It is unfair that we should be penalised for making the play-offs when the next regular season starts.
“Thankfully though we are finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel with regards to injuries and hopefully we will have one or two available for this weekend.”
