A few surprise results at the end of the season led to the Red and Whites plunging out of the top-flight - with 13 points being the highest-ever total gathered by a team going down.

Their tally after the 18-game season was equal with Inveraray and Bute, but goal difference led to their demotion.

Manager Ferguson has vowed to stay on and lead the battle to bounce back up and is already working on friendly fixtures for pre-season.

He told the Lochaber News that his stunned players will take their position on the chin and come back even stronger.

He said: "It was a real blow for all of us when we learned our fate. It was a huge disappointment to go down. In the days following our relegation, I took time out to catch up with the boys and get their views.

"The reality, as hard as it is, has sunk in and we are where we are. North Division One is a very tough league, but we will roll our sleeves up and give it our very best shot.

"We've done reasonably well in the Premier Division, in fact I think we got the highest total out of any team to be relegated, so that wasn't easy to take.

"Just one more point would have kept us up, so we came ever so close. We also had key injuries to deal with at important times in the season and that didn't help, although other clubs will also say the same. It was good, however, to get Lachlan Campbell and Fleck MacDonald near the end of the season and we have a team, with a number of younger players, who have all gained really valuable experience at the highest level.

"We all have to shoulder the responsibility though, including myself as manager, we all could have done better and we know that."

Although results such as Inveraray's 4-0 rout against Glenurquhart, Bute's 4-1 win at Inveraray and Bute's 3-1 final day victory at Oban raised eyebrows, Ferguson was gracious towards his relegation rivals.

He said: "It's always a difficult time of the season (the final few weeks), but I watched a number of the games and they were always competitive and clubs were fielding strong teams. Inveraray and Bute got the results they needed and fair play to them. It's now up to us to respond at get back to that level."

Ferguson now wants as many of the squad to stay on and drive Lochaber back up from a highly competitive league.

He said: "It's very important that we all pull together in one direction and I think the minimum of change at the club the better for the season ahead. I am organising friendlies and the players will return to training in early February."

Ferguson's assistant will be Jason Latto, with Duncan Kelly, due to work commitments, stepping back to referee.

Looking ahead to the challenge of next season in North Division One, the former Scotland boss is sure Lochaber will be seen as the big scalp.

He explained: "We have to realise from the very start, having come down from the Premier League, we will be the team everyone wants to beat, the other sides will raise their game and we must be ready for that.

"There will be many contenders for the title. You look at Kilmallie, which sees the return of the derby for us, and they'll have a chance, as will sides such as Skye, who have done really well, along with Beauly and Caberfeidh. We will use the experience from last season to help us in our challenge to get back up."

sports@lochaber-news.co.uk

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