Goalkeeper Thomas McHale is relishing the chance for Elgin City to put last season’s League Two struggles behind them under new manager Ross Draper.
The Black and Whites’s League Two season starts on August 5 with a home fixture against Stranraer before a trip to Forfar Athletic the following week.
McHale, 27, who joined City six years ago from Boreham Wood, knows batting clear the threat of a relegation play-off final was vital last season.
Poor form, especially from the New Year cost manager Gavin Price his job, with a 3-0 defeat at relegation rivals Albion Rovers putting Elgin bottom with five games to go.
Ross Draper, Charlie Charlesworth and Steven Dunn were put in interim charge to try and steer the team to safety – and they did it with one point to spare.
Draper’s late winner against Dumbarton in the penultimate fixture ensured they remained a League Two club.
The board were impressed by former Caley Jags’ Scottish Cup-winning midfielder Draper when they opened up the vacancy and he got the player-manager role last month.
‘There’s lots to look forward to’
With the fixtures out, there is a date to aim for now and McHale explained it’s a clean slate for all as they target a battle at the right end of the table this time.
He said: “It’s a fresh start for everyone at the club.
“It’s a new start for a lot of players and a new manager coming in says it all. The boys are wanting to impress in pre-season.
“Everyone has come back with the right attitude and is giving 100 per cent. That’s all we can ask.
“It’s good the way he puts his messages across to the players. We all know what’s expected of us as players. We’re all excited to work under Drapes.
“The boys all get on with him, so let’s see how it goes. There is a lot to look forward to.
“He’s drilling it into us in every session, especially in pre-season. If people are going to make mistakes, it’s best to do it now.
“We want to go out there and do what we believe we can do in this league and that’s be successful.
“I know we didn’t have too much success last season, but coming through those last five games felt like a big success for us. That survival was just as big for anyone in our league last season.
“With the new manager in, we’re working towards the start of the season. It’s a big thing for this club.
“We’re all looking forward to that first league game after the cup-ties. We will then count down each game as it comes and work through the season as the manager wants us to and hopefully by the end of it we’re in a good position.”
Getting set for competitive kick-offs
This Saturday, Elgin’s pre-season schedule continues with a short trip along the A96 to Highland League hosts Huntly.
This will be their third game following on from a 3-1 loss against Forres Mechanics and a 5-1 victory over Rothes.
For shot-stopper McHale, as long as he sees sharpness and progression each time, he will be happy.
He said: “Myself and (fellow keeper) Daniel (Hoban) have played 45 minutes in each game. It has been good to get back into it.
“Pre-season is always daunting – everyone expects lots of running, but it’s been good so far. Drapes has told us all what he expects of us and the boys have come back firing.
“It’s less about results in pre-season. It’s about us getting into a position where we know we’re ready for the Viaplay Cup and the league.
“We want to know how we want to play as a team, knowing what we’re capable of and taking it from there.
“We’ll take these pre-season games as they come and hopefully we will keep progressing, so that we will be firing on all cylinders for the start of the season.”
VIAPLAY CUP
Our fixtures are now out for our Group G matches in the Viaplay Cup!
Read more here: 👉 https://t.co/q4fPWqcC0x pic.twitter.com/ndH7C4rb7R
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) June 9, 2023
Motherwell match looming large
After taking on Huntly, the Black and Whites face Banks o’ Dee at Spain Park on Tuesday before tackling Draper’s old club Caley Thistle next Saturday in Inverness.
Their Viaplay Cup campaign starts with a cracker in the shape of Stuart Kettlewell’s Motherwell heading to Moray on July 15.
In Group G, they then go to East Fife on July 18, host Queen of the South on July 22 and visit Lesser Hampden three days later to lock horns with Queen’s Park.