Banks o’ Dee have secured their management team on new long-term contracts and now president Brian Winton is setting his sights on trying to win the Breedon Highland League.
Co-managers Josh Winton and Paul Lawson and coaches Aggie Gray, Tomas Cerny and Mark Fleming have all penned extensions to stay at Spain Park.
Since being appointed in January 2023, joint-bosses Winton and Lawson have guided Dee to the R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup, the Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield and the Evening Express Aberdeenshire Cup, which was won last weekend.
Now club president Brian Winton believes their next target has to be the Highland League.
Dee are currently third in the table, 12 points behind leaders Brechin City but with a game in hand.
Winton said: “Most of our playing staff are on long-term deals and we’re already starting to look towards next season.
“I think it’s important when you start talking to players that they know who the management team is and that they’re going to be there for a period of time.
“This is the right time for us to get this done, we didn’t want to disrupt things before the Aberdeenshire Cup final.
“As a club we’ve got our bronze licence and completed our new stand so our facilities are in place and we feel we’ve got the right people as well.
“I’m delighted, in three seasons we’ve won the Highland League Cup, the Aberdeenshire Shield and Aberdeenshire Cup.
“That’s great and we need to keep our standards up and try to challenge for the league.
“Although we’re a bit off it at the moment I believe if we can keep winning come the end of the season we won’t be far away.
“League titles are the things that really define you as a club. The cups are great and we’re delighted to win them, but our target now has to be to win the league title.
“However, there are at least half a dozen teams with the same aspirations as us. Right now, Brechin and Brora are setting the pace and it’s up to us to hang on to their coattails.”
Ready to take the next step
Winton believes Banks o’ Dee are a club geared up to have success and says the management team are a key part of the set-up.
But he was also quick to pay tribute to others behind the scenes at Spain Park.
Winton added: “We’ve spent a lot of time improving the facilities and we have a good youth system and for me it’s about the club as a whole.
“Having the right leadership is important and the managers have done very well, but there are a lot of people behind the scenes who contribute.
“Paul Bain coming in as director of football has been very important in terms of the work he has does in the background helping us to bring players in.
“There are a lot of components that have come together in the last few years and the management team have been the icing on the cake.
“They’ve managed in a very professional and calm manner, everyone is pulling in the same direction and in the main things run pretty smoothly.”
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