Gary Oliver was seven starts short of triggering a contract extension with Queen of the South when the coronavirus shutdown denied him that chance.
Now as he faces up to a spell on the scrapheap he admits he may have to fill the gap by grafting with his dad’s plastering firm.But the 24-year-old feels lucky – because he realises some of his colleagues will have nothing to fall back on.
The former Hearts striker, whose case is being looked at by the players’ union, is one of 16 first-team members at Queens who have been told they’ll not be offered deals when their current ones expire in the coming two-and-a-half weeks.