Russell Dingwall is sure Elgin City’s winter signings will bring a fresh dimension to their League 2 promotion push.
The attacking midfielder has been impressed by Aberdeen loanees Evan Towler and Kevin Hanratty as well as returning middle man Rabin Omar and former Hamilton defender Aldin El-Zubaidi.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to face league leaders Kelty Hearts, the 24-year-old likes the look of the new recruits.
He said: “Young Evan has come in and he looks especially good at left-back. Aldin and Kevin played on Saturday too and you can see they are good players and hopefully they can all add something to the team that we perhaps don’t have.
“If the gaffer brings someone else in great. If not, we’ll get on with the squad as it is.”
Macphee move was understandable
One key figure who moved on was long-time servant Archie Macphee, who is relocating to Australia.
Dingwall knows the defender/midfielder will be a loss, but insists the squad can kick on in the closing few months of the season.
He said: “It’s disappointing to lose Archie because he’s been such an important member of the squad, but it was too good an opportunity for him to pass up. We all understand that and it’s just about us coming together now.”
Elgin were too hot for Kelty in Moray
Last Tuesday, an outstanding City display saw them defeat Kelty 2-0 at Borough Briggs, just a few days after the Maroons knocked holders St Johnstone out of the Scottish Cup.
That dazzling display has given the Moray side every reason to believe they can do it again.
He added: “We’ve got to go down there with plenty of confidence. We know it’s a tough place to go, but the way we played against them last week shows if we keep our shape and play well then they can be broken down, especially with Kane’s pace up front. That gives us a chance against anyone.
“Kane has been really strong lately and the goals against Kelty sparked him further into life and he scored again on Saturday.
“We know Kelty have got good players, but it’s just about trying to frustrate them and take them to areas of the pitch where we know we’re covered. When we get the ball, it’s all about how brave we are with it and try and play a bit to make it easier for us.”
Elgin halted by league loss at Stenny
The concession of two early goals last Saturday led to a 2-1 defeat at Stenhousemuir, but the six-game unbeaten run before that see Elgin sit just five points behind fourth-placed Edinburgh City.
Former Ross County player Dingwall felt they didn’t do enough to cash in on Jordan Tapping being sent off for the hosts on 71 minutes.
He said: “It was a terrible start to be 2-0 down within 15 minutes. After that, we controlled the match for large parts and played fairly well.
“We didn’t create enough chances when they went down to 10 men. You take away those 15 minutes, we were still pretty positive.”