Following on from our promising start to the season we entered August with two very difficult away games against Nairn County and Inverurie Locos respectively. Naturally we were ecstatic with the performance in Nairn and we hope that it showed that we are trying to get the right mix between being comfortable on the ball and being more direct when games suit. Shaun’s hat-trick was undoubtedly the highlight for us however we were really pleased with how we dealt with a Nairn front four who were pressing high and putting us under pressure. We managed to deal with the press and attack with a lot of composure at Station Park and on the day the result did not flatter us. Inverurie represented a different set of problems for us and we were pleased with how the boys performed in a much more intense and demanding game. One of our main objectives going into the season was to try to be able to compete with the teams that finished in top section of the table and to try and take as many points from these teams as possible.
Despite these promising performances we finish the month slightly disappointed with our return from five matches having beaten Huntly in between two poor performances at home to Lossiemouth and Keith who we have to concede were both worthy winners at Mosset Park. Despite having plenty of possession in both games we failed to make that count. We will continue to work on developing patterns of play in training and we hope that we can find solutions to the difficulties that we faced in these matches. We are happy with what the players have given us so far this season in terms of their attitude and their quality and while we hope to learn from our mistakes we will be encouraging the boys not to dwell on them.
One of the highlights of the month was Stuart Kinight’s 500th Appearance for the club. Stuart has shown incredible commitment to reach such a significant milestone and continues to set the standards in and around the changing room and on training pitch. Aside from his obvious qualities between the sticks he will always offer an honest assessment of our performances and it is great to have his input on such matters. One of the qualities that I admire the most about Stuart his is communication and even when he had to sit out the last few minutes of the Huntly game he was still in the technical area barking out instructions to his team mates. A true legend of the club and one that I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with……..now if we could just sort out his timekeeping ?.
We were delighted to finally add Craig Mackenzie to the squad, a player that Steven has been interested in for a long time. We are excited by the prospect of the added quality in the final third of the park and look forward to him showing the fans what he can do. There were a lot of clubs interested in Craig’s signature but having spoken to Steven he decided that his future would be best served in Forres.
As a result of this deal Owen Paterson has joined Strathspey Thistle and we would like to again wish him the best of luck with the move. Owen has been a pleasure to coach and his attitude to training and games has always been first class. While he will be missed around the club he now has the opportunity to establish himself as a first pick at his new club something that he truly deserves. We have spoken to him since his move and he has enjoyed his first three games and is looking forward to the challenge.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Strathspey Thistle for their part in both deals and wish them well for the rest of the season.
Finally, we look forward to the challenges that September will bring, these include our Scottish Cup 1st Round tie where we welcome Glasgow University as well as a first trip to Banks ‘o’ Dee following matches with Turriff (A) and Clach (H). We hope that the fans will enjoy them.