Buckie Thistle president Garry Farquhar and Brechin City chairman Kevin Mackie are hoping it will be a fairytale finish for their clubs.
But regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s Breedon Highland League title-decider at Victoria Park the pair agree the clash makes for a great conclusion to the campaign.
With a point between the teams a win or a draw will see Buckie crowned champions, while only victory will do for Brechin.
The Hedgemen will be backed by a sizeable travelling support and Glebe Park chief Mackie said: “It’s a great finish to the season.
“You couldn’t have asked for any better to have the two teams that could win it playing each other on the last day.
“There will be a great atmosphere and hopefully it’s an enjoyable day.
“We’ve got seven buses coming plus quite a few people coming in cars so I think we’ll have somewhere around 600 fans.
“Buckie will have a big support as well and it should be a great day for the fans and the neutrals.”
Farquhar and the rest of the Buckie committee have been busy making arrangements ahead of the big day with a large four-figure attendance expected.
He added: “We’re expecting a seriously big crowd for a Highland League game, but we’ve had big crowds before so we’ve taken the appropriate steps in terms of security.
“We’re not going for segregation because for league games it’s generally not something we’ve needed.
“We hope it’s a good day and that everyone there enjoys their day.
“Regardless of the outcome both sets of supporters will have to give both sides credit for getting into this situation.
“It’s a great advert for the Highland League to have a last day decider and I’m sure both sets of supporters will respect both teams and whoever wins will deserve the credit.”
Title would mean so much
The Jags are aiming to win the Highland League for the 12th time having last won it in 2017.
Farquhar said: “It would be a reward for the loyalty of a lot of people sticking with the team and the club.
“For myself personally it would be the fourth time we’ve won the Highland League since I got involved with Buckie which would be quite something.
“We last won it in 2017 and after that we were decimated with injuries and we had a couple of seasons where we weren’t quite the same team due to players being missing.
“But we’ve built back up and got into a strong position last season chasing for the title and we’re chasing for it again this season so we can’t ask for more.
“I’m proud of all the management team and all the players.”
This is only Brechin’s second season in the Highland League following relegation from the SPFL in 2021.
Mackie wants to get the club back into the Scottish League, but says in the context of the Hedgemen’s long-term progression tomorrow’s game isn’t make-or-break.
He added: “As long as you’re always showing consistency and continued improvement you’ll always get to where you want to go, no matter what industry you’re in.
“We’ve improved on last year because we’ll finish first or second when we were third last year.
“We learned a lot from last season, we’ve got a better understanding of the Highland League, which is very competitive.
“We’re always learning and that will continue next season if we’re still in the Highland League.
“As long as we’re learning and improving at some point we should reach the target we’ve set.
“This is only our second season, it’s a marathon not a sprint. For us the plan is to keep trying to show continous improvement and hopefully success will arrive one day.”