ALLOA Athletic manager Barry Smith has backed Morton to rebound from the disappointment of relegation after watching his side condemn to the drop at the weekend.

The former defender spent the second half of season 2007-08 — Ton’s first back in the First Division after six years in the lower reaches of Scottish football — on loan at Cappielow from Valur in Iceland. Smith, 40, expressed regret at seeing a former club relegated on Saturday but predicted Kenny Shiels would guide them to promotion next term.

He said: “You never like to see teams being relegated but at the start of the season it has to happen to somebody.

“But I’m sure they’ll bounce back. Kenny is a good man with his own footballing philosophy. I’m sure he’ll have them back ready for next season.” Wasps captain Darren Young, who played the full 90 minutes at Recreation Park on Saturday, spent the majority of the 2010-11 season with the Ton and admitted he was sympathetic to their plight.

He said: “It’s not nice to see teams get relegated, but hopefully they’ll bounce back again next season.”