Elgin City have had 10 scorers of 11 pre-season goals so far – and Kane Hester hasn’t even been playing.
The Scottish League 2 side have defeated Clach 5-0 and Lossiemouth 6-0 over the past week, but main striker Hester has not been involved.
Matheus Machado, Jake Dolzanski, Fin Allen, Angus Mailer and Brian Cameron hit the net against the Lilywhites on Saturday.
On Tuesday, in a 6-0 win against Lossiemouth, also of the Highland League, Machado scored another, with Jake Thomson, Matt Jamieson, Darryl McHardy, Dylan Lawrence and Russell Dingwall also on the scoresheet.
Manager Gavin Price is in the market for a forward to take the pressure of Hester’s shoulders, but has been delighted with the sharpness of his players, with most of the squad given minutes so far.
He said: “It was good to get everyone bedded in and get game time in the legs.
“The fitness of the players has been evident from the start. We looked strong throughout the games, with a lot of different players getting time on the pitch.
“It’s still early on in pre-season, but we are looking quite far ahead in terms of our preparation.”
McInnes signing is great for Elgin
On Thursday night, Elgin bolstered their squad by signing former Caley Thistle attacking midfielder Kenny McInnes, 18, on a two-year deal.
The play-maker and goal threat spent time on loan at Forres Mechanics last season and will aim to hit the ground running at his new club.
ANNIVERSARY TOURNAMENT DRAW
The draw for our celebration tournament of 100 years at Borough Briggs was made today.
Saturday 25th June
Elgin City vs @FraserburghFC – 1pm KO@pfcofficial vs @InverurieLocos – 5pmTicket info on our FB page 🏟 pic.twitter.com/ARg9KctRBf
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) June 14, 2022
Price, who has also signed defenders Jevan Anderson and Jake Dolzanski, reckons McInnes can kick his career on in Elgin colours.
He said: “Kenny has come in during pre-season and shown a great appetite for the game.
“He has shown a real hunger and shown all the right attributes and he can really push on now at Elgin and be a successful player at Borough Briggs.
“He works hard and covers a lot of ground and is always looking for a forward pass.
“We’ve been really pleased with him and we’re glad to have him at Borough Briggs.
SIGNING NEWS ✍️
We are delighted to announce young talented midfielder Kenny McInnes has signed for the Club.
Kenny has signed a 2 year contract keeping him at the City until summer 2024.
Welcome to the Club. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/wFRYKr0xSK
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) June 23, 2022
“Kenny has been given a two-year deal, which is a wise decision on our part, because we have expectations that he will do really well.”
On Saturday, Elgin kick off celebrations to mark 100 years of playing at Borough Briggs when they take on Highland League champions Fraserburgh in a centenary tournament at 1pm, before League 1 Peterhead face Inverurie Locos, also of the Highland League, at 5pm.
The respective losers and winners go head-to-head at noon and 4pm on Sunday.
Broch title success hailed by Price
Price, who plans to play Hester at least in part of the first game, reckons the Broch will be stern opponents for his League 2 side.
He added: “Fraserburgh had a great season to win the Highland League, given that Buckie won 23 games in a row.
“To stand up to the challenge and become champions was quite a phenomenal achievement. This will be a tough test for our players.
“We expect a different proposition this weekend compared to our first two games in terms of playing the Highland League champions, which I am sure will be an interesting game. I am looking forward to it.”
Conversation