Striker Dajon Golding is determined to enjoy his football again with Elgin City – and is relishing his chance to have a crack at Hibernian the Saturday.
The Premier Sports Cup group stage starts this weekend as the League Two side welcome the Premiership Hibs to Borough Briggs.
It will also be the first competitive match for Hibs boss David Gray and there should be a brilliant atmosphere inside the ground as the teams looks to get off the mark in Group C alongside Kelty Hearts, Peterhead and Queen’s Park.
Golding was on loan at Elgin from League One side Cove Rangers in the second half of last season following a successful loan stint with Banks o’ Dee in the Highland League.
And the Londoner returned to Elgin this month, this time signing a one-year permanent deal.
Cove boss Paul Hartley signed Golding last summer from National League South club Tonbridge, but he played just four matches for the Aberdeen side.
Since siging for Elgin, the 26-year-old has scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 friendly win at Forres Mechanics and bagged a brace in Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Highland League champions Buckie Thistle.
Fresh start ahead of the new season
Golding said: “I’m feeling good. I can’t wait for the new season to start.
“Last season was frustrating for me. I suffered some damage to my hamstring three or four weeks into my loan and I played through it, so it’s good to start fresh this time and have a real go for it.
“I put no expectations on myself. Last year, was a tough one for me at Cove Rangers.
“I just wanted to enjoy myself in my first year of being a professional footballer. I had a lot of expectations, aspirations, visions and thoughts about the way it would be and it turned out to the opposite of that.
“That’s why I am going into this season with the main aim of enjoying it. If I am enjoying my football, I know I am doing my job right.
“So, I want to help Elgin win as many games as we can and get as high up the table as possible.”
Golding ready for huge Hibs clash
Hibs will have designs on winning the Premier Sports Cup as well as improving their Premiership results this season after being eighth last term.
Golding said: “These are the kind of opponents you want to test yourselves against.
“The Premier Sports Cup allows a lot of teams in the lower leagues to do that in the group stage.
“I want to play at as high a level as I can, so to get the chance to play against a team from a few leagues above you gives you that push.
“We have a game-plan for Hibs. We know what we want to do and we will be going out to do that to the best of our abilities.
“We’ve been strong at Borough Briggs. Our fans are excellent – we have the best crowd in League Two. Even a lot of League One clubs don’t attract support like we do.
“That’s a massive credit to them and hopefully on Saturday we can give them a performance and result to remember.”
Solid foundations plus fresh energy
Elgin boss Allan Hale and his assistant Stefan Laird joined the club in December and helped arrest the slide towards the League Two relegation play-off spot, with the club finishing seventh.
As well as Golding, Hale has signed defenders Kyle Girvan and Jack Murray, midfielder Lewis Hyde and forwards Olly McDonald, Ryan Sargent, and Dylan Girvan this summer.
Golding added: “The manager has brought a lot of energy to the squad, but the bulk of the squad has remained the same.
“We’ve got a really good base, or foundation, here, and he’s added players that raise the quality further. More people can step up now.
“One of the main reasons I came to Elgin not just this time, but for the loan spell was because Allan and Stefan have always been brutally honest and open. They are hard-working, focused and driven.
“That’s the way I would like to see myself. What the management are creating at Elgin is good, but we need to go and do the work on the pitch this season.”
After taking on Hibs, Elgin are home to League One opponents Kelty Hearts on Tuesday.