Largs kick off against Wishaw in the first round of the West of Scotland Cup at Barrfields on Saturday, 2pm kick-off, and new manager Stuart Davidson admits it will be odd without his friend Bryan Slavin.

Stuart praised the outgoing manager as a 'hero' for his achievements at the Barrfields club after he resigned with immediate effect on Saturday evening.

Coach Drew Walsh has also left the Barrfields club after Thistle's sixth straight defeat in the McBookie.com Premier Division.

Stuart said: "Bryan has his reasons for leaving and it is not just footballing reasons, and he leaves the club as a hero for what he has done and achieved, and we wish him and Drew all the best."

On Saturday evening, the club issued the following statement: "Following Saturday's match both Bryan Slavin and Drew Walsh have tendered their resignations.

"Largs Thistle Football Club would like to thank both Bryan and Drew for all that they have achieved with the team and wish them all the best for the future. Stuart Davidson will continue now as manager."

Bryan issued a statement: "I've made the difficult decision to step down from my position as Largs Thistle FC manager with immediate effect.

"Circumstances that lie ahead mean that my decision to step down Largs Thistle had to be taken but results have likely hastened it. I'm extremely proud of all the boys Largs Thistle and what they have achieved over the last 20 months.

"At best, Largs Thistle should only be back in the First Division this season but due to their commitment they defied all those who wrote them off.

"In a year, for Largs Thistle to go from bottom of the first division, to promotion, and losing the league on goal difference was a huge achievement for the boys.

"To have such an honest and hardworking group Largs Thistle, who never dived or tried to cheat, was a privilege for my first management job.

"Having Arnie (Stuart Davidson) as an equal partner at Largs Thistle was another huge reason we achieved. I couldn't have asked for a better guy to work with.

"I remain sure that Largs and Arnie can continue to build on the foundation we set and start to get the results we need.

"Lastly, huge thanks to Largs Thistle for the chance they took on both Arnie and me and for the friendships I made which will last a lifetime."
The new manager admitted it would be odd not having Bryan about, and

Stuart said: "We made joint decisions in everything, so it is going to be strange, but we shared the decisions anyway. It is very disappointing for both Bryan and Drew to leave - we need to move on and do our best to get ourselves out of this situation.

"We showed the right intensity in the second half against Troon, and I will be looking for more of the same for the rest of the season. Many people had us written off two years ago, and it gave us a new lease of life - everyone again has us down and writing us off, so let's see what we can do.

Wishaw are going well this season and are a decent team -maybe they should be up a league or two. I am expecting a really hard game and it should be a good match.

"The first thing is to win against Wishaw and then get some points on the board."

Bryan Slavin has also been an important player for Largs, having started 33 games, and Stuart Davidson said he was on the look-out for new players to bolster the pool.

Thistle President Peter Connor said: "Bryan has been great for Largs and he has taken the club to where we are now - he has been unfortunate with injuries to the midfield this season, and we wish him all the best for the future. We would also like to thank Drew Walsh for all his help too. 
"Bryan was also a great player for us, and that is something else that is hard to replace, but we are delighted that Arnie is staying on and he definitely deserves his chance."