 Following the demise of Airdrieonians, in summer 2002 a consortium led by Jim Ballantyne purchased the assets of third-tier Clydebank and took their place in the league under the new name "Airdrie United".Sandy Stewart (who had already been working towards coaching qualifications for several years) had already been invited to take over as player-manager of any new club in the town.He appointed former Airdrieonians teammate Kenny Black as his assistant, and continued to register as a player each year.