Ben Barron is in contention to make his Elgin City debut in tonight’s SPFL Trust Trophy tie against St Johnstone B.
Teenage forward Barron became Ross Draper’s fifth signing of the summer last week, when he joined the Black and Whites from Forres Mechanics.
The 18-year-old’s move came as the reward for a fine campaign in the Highland League in which he netted 16 goals, after being released by Caley Thistle 12 months ago.
Draper has confirmed he intends to feature Barron in tonight’s first round tie against Saints at Borough Briggs.
The Elgin boss said: “Ben will be involved in the squad.
Signing news 🖊️
Delighted to announce the signing of Ben Barron from @TheCansOfficial .
Welcome to Elgin City Ben and good luck in the coming season. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/0XhYlxz97w
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) July 28, 2023
“He’s one we have chased for months. He gives us a different option in terms of physicality, and he’s one we are delighted to get over the line.
“Hopefully when we have added two or three more in that kind of mould and style of player, in terms of age and commitment, we will look a little bit healthier.
“Ben is certainly one we are excited about. He’s still a young lad so there’s no pressure on him coming in and fixing problems we have had in League Cup games.
“He is young, but he doesn’t speak or act like he’s young. He’s a confident boy and has a big frame.
“We trained on Saturday and he was involved in the squad then. He has come in and settled really well, so it’s not like he’s a timid 18-year-old who doesn’t really know what he’s bringing.
“He will fit well in the dressing room and the boys have made him feel welcome.”
Lawrence remains key part of Draper’s long-term plans
As part of the deal to bring Barron to City, forward Dylan Lawrence will spend the next six months on loan at Forres.
Lawrence got his Can-Cans career off to a fine start on Saturday, netting in their 2-1 opening day victory over Strathspey Thistle.
Having tied the 20-year-old down on a three-year deal Draper insists Lawrence is still firmly in his plans – but is in need of a sustained period of regular starting action.
Draper added: “It was a tough one with Dylan. He played a handful of games before Covid kicked in but that period killed his development.
“He has not had that run of games where he has been out and got 40 or 50 games a season under his belt.
“Dylan has always been in and around our squad. He would maybe have 10 minutes off the bench, then he would start a game, and then maybe come out again.
“We spoke to him and agreed that as much as we didn’t want to lose a player from the squad, we have to sacrifice that because he needs games for his development.
“Rather than playing small numbers here, he needs to go and play 20 games before January and then reassess and go from there.
Congratulations to Dylan Lawrence on being named Man Of The Match against Strathspey Thistle FC today 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 presentation made by representatives of the Highkand League of Gentlemen 🍾
‘’Mon the Cans! 🟤🟡#monthecans pic.twitter.com/q8oX7LjFCD
— ForresMechanics F.C. (@TheCansOfficial) July 29, 2023
“He has signed a three-year contract so he’s still in the plans along with all the other younger boys we want to speak to and tie down.
“It’s not a case of us pushing him out on loan and forgetting about him. He’s going to be a part of the club going forward.
“That was the agreement – to get him on a longer deal, and make sure he goes out and gets games. He will benefit from that, as we saw on Saturday when he got a goal and a man of the match performance.”
Draper says defensive pair are nearing return
Jake Dolzanski will miss the visit of Saints’ colts team through suspension, however Draper is hopeful he and fellow defender Matthew Cooper will be involved in Saturday’s League Two opener against Stranraer.
Draper, who is aiming to add further to his squad this week, added: “With us having a smaller squad, I probably would have preferred us just to go into the league games.
“It’s a competition that means a little bit of money for the club and gives the boys an opportunity to progress through the rounds.
“It depends on which way you look at it, but we know the main focus is going to be on that Stranraer game.”