Elgin City boss Gavin Price is looking forward to stepping up his side’s preparations for the League Two restart with a friendly against Forfar Athletic today.
The Borough Briggs side will take on the Loons at Station Park this afternoon (2pm kick-off) in a bid to get match sharp ahead of league fixtures resuming next weekend.
WE ARE BACK 🤩⚽
We return to action THIS SATURDAY
🆚 @ForfarAthletic
🏟️ Station Park
🕒 2pm KO
😀 Friendly
🎥 FREE stream on Forfar Athletic TVFor full streaming details head to our website
👉 https://t.co/kpd0ab89XY— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) March 11, 2021
Leagues One and Two have been on hold since January 11 but have received the green light to resume next Saturday, providing they adhere to weekly testing requirements.
Price said: “It’s great to have a game to look forward to.
“The training has been excellent so far.
“The players are really upbeat.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to kick-off the season again.
“I have been impressed with their condition since they came back and the tempo at training.
“They have shown a lot of enthusiasm so long may that continue.
“Hopefully we can carry on where we left off.
“The players have all been tested a couple of times now.
“We have trained on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday this week.
“We are basically cramming a pre-season into a couple of weeks.
“It’s just what we have to do.
“We have to be mindful of injuries.
“The guys have come back in good condition and they have done a lot of fitness work.
“We have Forfar on Saturday and then we have a game against Keith on Tuesday.
“Then we will have one more training session then we will be ready to go.”
Leagues One and Two are expected to play out a 22-game season with the 10-team divisions completing the second round of fixtures before a split for a further four of matches.
Price, whose side will host Edinburgh City next weekend, said: “We are going to have to play nine games and then that will take us to the split.
“We are playing every team so it doesn’t really matter.
“We have to be up for every game if we want to get the three points.
“The split is going to be like a play-off situation before the play-offs.
“It is going to make it quite exciting.
“We have to make sure, first and foremost, that we get into that top five.
“Hopefully we are in the position to make the play-offs.
“The players are all delighted to have the opportunity to get back playing.
“There is a really good buzz about the place.
“I can tell they are desperate to get going.
“We have to use that enthusiasm.”
Archie Macphee has returned to Elgin City for a fourth spell on a loan deal from Highland League side Formartine United for the rest of the season.
Price is pleased to have the left-sided defender or midfielder back in his squad.
He said: “I know all about Archie which is why I keep re-signing him.
“At one stage we will make that permanent signing.
“He knows everything about the team, the way we work and the style of football we play.
“It is about keeping that consistency within the squad and he knows what it is all about.
“He is a top player at this level.”