Picking a Breedon Highland League team of the season is a very difficult proposition.
With so many talented players plying their trade in the division, whittling it down required a great deal of deliberation.
Over the course of the campaign, I’ve been fortunate enough to cover 62 games involving Highland League sides for The Press and Journal with my selection based on what I’ve watched.
Team of the season is always a hotly-debated topic, but one thing surely everyone can agree on is that it has been another memorable Highland League campaign with plenty of stellar performances.
Goalkeeper
During his stints with Lossiemouth and Brora Rangers this season, Logan Ross has impressed between the posts and gets the nod.
The 18-year-old Ross County loanee has demonstrated composure and authority beyond his years and certainly has a bright future in the game.
Brechin’s Lenny Wilson has also had a fine season, while experienced campaigners like Andy Reid of Inverurie Locos, Banks o’ Dee’s Andy Shearer and Stuart Knight of Forres Mechanics continue to impress.
Defence
Euan Spark of Brechin and Buckie’s Jack Murray are the centre-half selections.
For the Hedgemen, Spark has been a rock at the heart of the division’s most miserly defence, who conceded only 16 league goals.
Murray has again been a dominant presence in the Jags’ backline and also has a knack of popping up with important goals.
Fraserburgh’s Kieran Simpson continues to go from strength to strength and came under serious consideration, Brora’s Colin Williamson again performed to a high level and youngster Connall Ewan did well for Forres.
Johnny Crawford is chosen at right-back, having been a model of consistency in a Formartine United defence who conceded 15 league goals fewer than last season.
On the other side is Kevin McHattie, whose experience and composure was an important component in Brechin’s side.
Banks o’ Dee’s Alasdair Stark was unfortunate to miss out – having impressed at both full-back and centre-back this term – but he is on the bench.
Midfield
In midfield, I’ve tried to strike a balance between guile, grit and goalscoring.
A natural wide player in Marc Scott of Brechin is selected on the right flank.
Capable of going inside or down the line, Scott has been a thorn in the side of full-backs this season.
In the middle, the Buckie pairing of Sam Pugh and Andrew MacAskill get the nod.
The former has been a driving force and leader for the Jags, while MacAskill has shone once again, netting 21 goals and possessing the ability to turn any game in an instant.
On the left, former Highland League player of the year, Andrew Macrae, is accommodated.
The Brora player may be more accustomed to playing centrally, but could easily do a job on the flank with his 30 goals this campaign making him very hard to leave out.
Plenty of others demonstrated their promise, including Formartine’s Mark Gallagher, Paul Young of Fraserburgh, Banks o’ Dee duo Kane Winton and Mark Gilmour, Dale Gillespie of Brora, Rothes’ Fraser Robertson, Max Barry of Buckie and Brechin’s Kieran Inglis.
Gallagher and Young are the selections for the bench.
Attack
There are plethora of quality marksmen plying their trade in the Highland League and selecting just a couple for this side was a challenging undertaking.
North football’s top scorer Grady McGrath is in after bagging 35 goals for Brechin, and he’s partnered by Josh Peters – whose 29 strikes fuelled Buckie’s title bid.
️⚽️ The top @LeagueHighland scorers for season 2022/23 (all competitions) with #HighlandLeagueWeekly
Here are the top-🔟 marksmen… pic.twitter.com/UlUBOOFLTl
— Highland League Weekly (@HighlandLW) April 24, 2023
On the bench are Fraserburgh’s talisman Scott Barbour and Jordan MacRae of Brora, with Formatine’s industrious frontman Julian Wade very unfortunate to miss out.
Paul Campbell (Formartine and Fraserburgh), Lachie MacLeod of Banks o’ Dee, Rothes’ Aidan Wilson, Ben Barron of Forres, Deveronvale’s Dane Ballard, Turriff United’s Ewan Clark and James Anderson of Clach also had good seasons and showed the depth of talent in the division.
Manager
Plenty of cases can be made for who should manage the side.
Mark Cowie guided Fraserburgh to the Aberdeenshire Cup and Shield double this term, while Stuart Anderson has rejuvenated Formartine in his first full season.
Steven Mackay lifted Nairn County from 17th to 7th after being appointed in October and, under Dean Donaldson’s charge, Turriff finished 18 points better off than last term.
But Brechin’s Andy Kirk gets the nod, having guided them to the title in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season.
Final selection
Starting XI: Logan Ross (Lossiemouth/Brora Rangers); Johnny Crawford (Formartine United), Euan Spark (Brechin City), Jack Murray (Buckie Thistle), Kevin McHattie (Brechin City); Marc Scott (Brechin City), Sam Pugh (Buckie Thistle), Andrew MacAskill (Buckie Thistle), Andrew Macrae (Brora Rangers); Grady McGrath (Brechin City), Josh Peters (Buckie Thistle).
Subs: Lenny Wilson (Brechin City), Alasdair Stark (Banks o’ Dee), Kieran Simpson (Fraserburgh), Mark Gallagher (Formartine United), Paul Young (Fraserburgh), Scott Barbour (Fraserburgh), Jordan MacRae (Brora Rangers).
Manager: Andy Kirk (Brechin City).
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