We need get our house in order, take stock and have a big reality check about our situation. In that, we need to realise there is absolutely no chance of us going up next season, given what our 'new rivals' are doing. Kelty have already given themselves what some are calling a Championship quality team, while we currently have no permanent manager, eight players of LL quality (or lower) and five board members who have been asked by the club's biggest shareholder to consider their positions. To blow the parachute payment money (£40,000 is it?) on trying to compete with the likes of Kelty Hearts and East Kilbride would be idiocy of the highest order.
If we do have this ambitionless couple of years, what I feel is vitally important in that time is to re-engage and rebuild a completely fractured relationship with the local community and help to make it a club that people can be proud of. The 'local laddie' argument did my head in while we were in SPFL2 - folk within the town who never go to BRFC games saying there were plenty local players good enough to compete at that level. They simply weren't.
Looking at it now though, I don't think we can comfortably say that and I think we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot if we didn't seriously consider how we go about our operations and considering moving training etc closer to home (although I'm aware facilities in Berwick are pish). Competition for players in the Edinburgh area has heightened significantly and with us not being able to blow fellow LL clubs out of the water financially, players are more likely to opt for a team in Edinburgh.
Personally, over the next couple of years, I'd much rather see a Berwick side with 2 or 3 local players, finishing top half/mid table and the club doing more in the community than a side still based out of Edinburgh, blowing a tonne of cash and trying, but failing, to win promotion due being up against teams with superior quality and budgets.
With every setback, there is an opportunity. This presents exactly that and it'll be interesting to see what happens...