THEY say football is nothing without the fans and Sauchie Juniors' supremo Karl Rennie certainly lives by those words. 

The Clacks club has been boosted by the news the Scottish Government has given football the greenlight to look at welcoming supporters back into grounds as early as next month. 

Premiership teams, who have started their season behind closed doors, are set to provide a dummy run to ensure fans can attend games safely after being given the go-ahead by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. 

READ MORE: East of Scotland League bosses warn clubs breaking lockdown rules

The hope is this will then be rolled out to SPFL's other three tiers, in a boost for Alloa Athletic, then onto the Lowland League and East of Scotland Premier Division. 

"It's good to hear but it does bring with it a wee bit of apprehension as well," the club chairman told Advertiser Sport. "The main thing is we will be so glad to welcome them in once we have things ready to maintain social distancing. 

"It will help the club for sure and will make it easier for us to approach the season when we have that guaranteed flow of money coming in.

"It's important to give the club that wee bit of stability and it is also great for the players to not just be playing on their own but to have that wee bit of backing behind them as well.

Alloa and Hillfoots Advertiser: Nicola Sturgeon gave Scottish football the go-ahead last week Nicola Sturgeon gave Scottish football the go-ahead last week

"No one wants to play at empty stadiums. It's a strange feeling. 

"The good thing for us is that social distancing shouldn't be too much of an issue and we are hoping to have everything ready as soon as possible." 

Ms Sturgeon also gave Scottish clubs outwith the Premiership the nod to return to full contact training as of Monday and preparations are well underway to welcome the likes of David Cross and Stewart Houston back to Beechwood. 

East of Scotland bosses are set to meet with Scottish FA chiefs this week to hold talks on how this can be done in the sixth tier and Rennie can't wait to move one step closer to normality. 

Alloa and Hillfoots Advertiser: The likes of Stewart Houston will hope to return to training after being given the greenlight The likes of Stewart Houston will hope to return to training after being given the greenlight

When they do return, as well as a completely revamped home, Sauchie will also be able to boast a new commercial team, led by Scott Duncan, cousin of first team manager Fraser. 

Scott will be tasked with bringing in new sponsorship and partnerships to the Clacks club and Rennie believes it's another step towards realising the Reds' potential. 

"Sauchie has been a sleeping giant and this is something that will help us bring the club back to life," he said. 

"That's one of the things we have brought Scott on board for. He has a commercial background and we hope he can help with securing sponsorships and hospitalities going forward. 

READ MORE: Sauchie Juniors launch new academy side for 2020 season

"The more we get through the door the more it will help us move onto the next level by giving the backing to the manager and the players. 

"That's what we are aiming for rather than being in a position of just sitting around and waiting to see what happens. We don't want to be in a position where we look back and wish we had done it.

"We've done it and we are building with the amount of work going on in the club. It hopefully gives the supporters something to make them want to go back to watch Sauchie."