Fort William manager Alan Gray is refusing to throw the towel in on the club’s hopes to become this year’s North Caledonian League champions.
Despite being 14 points behind from leaders Loch Ness, having three games in hand and showing steady form gives the group at Claggan Park reasons to be optimistic.
In October, Gray replaced Chris Baffour, who had barely got his feet under the table, following the departure of Shadab Iftikhar, who was unable to keep the club in the Highland League last term.
Progress has been apparent under Gray, with their 4-2 weekend win against Alness United keeping their slim title chances alive.
This Saturday, they host St Duthus, who are second in the table, 10 points behind Loch Ness, but with two games in hand.
There is close to zero margin for error for either side. Loch Ness suffered their first league loss of the season on Saturday when Inverness Athletic were 2-1 winners. The championship is still theirs to throw away, it seems.
Gray said: “If we can beat St Duthus and Loch Ness and Invergordon, we would not rule anything out.
“This season has been a case of having a complete overhaul of the squad. St Duthus and Invergordon have had settled squads and Loch Ness have had guys play together for some time now, including in the summer leagues and at youth level. These are established squads.
“We need to find form and consistency to ensure we stay in there. It’s not insurmountable. The defeats we’ve had held us back, but if we win all games in hand then you just never know.
“If we can beat St Duthus, that would spur the boys on. Results breed results.”
Stronger side all set for Saints’ visit
Gray is expecting a completely different kind of match against the Tain Saints compared to the defeat they suffered against them in November.
He said: “Last time we played St Duthus, they beat us 3-0 and we didn’t lay a glove on them. We were missing a few players, but they overpowered us.
“They seemed to have a wee dip when they lost Ross Tokely (t0 Nairn County) and Ben Bruce has been out, but they are flying again.
“I have known (manager) Alan Geegan for a long time. He was a really good player and he’s a good coach and manager.
“We need to be strong. The battle in the middle of the park is where the game will be won or lost.
“We will have holding midfielder Michael Gillespie back. He missed the last game against Saints. He will be huge, especially on the bigger pitch here at Claggan.
“We have home advantage, players back and will hopefully be stronger than last time. We’re looking for a big response and come away with three points.”
More options open up for Gray
The new year has seen Gray bolster squad numbers too, with former captain, defender/midfielder Darren Quigg hoping for run in the side after injury curtailed his return against Alness at the weekend.
Three young lads, centre half Stevie Campbell, who was with Gray at South Lochaber Thistle, midfielder Ryan MacDonald, and winger/striker Andrew Sneddon have also been brought in.
Gray believes the local lads will bring something extra to the team, complementing those already driving Fort up the division.
He said: “It’s good to have the younger lads coming to the club, who have maybe been away for a while. The community always like to see local talent.
“The players who have come up the road (from England) have been fantastic and they are still here and big parts of the team and working hard and people love to see that, but they also love to see local players back, such as their mates or uncles playing for Fort William.
“We’ve got a good balance to the side, so it’s all coming together.”
NEXT WEEKEND'S FIXTURES – 14.1.23
NORTH CALEDONIAN CUP RND 1
Bonar v Golspie
Clach 'A' v Nairn 'A' (1.30 p.m)
Thurso v InvergordonNORTH CALEDONIAN LEAGUE
Fort William v St.Duthus
Inverness v Alness (2 p.m)
Orkney v HalkirkKick-offs are 1 pm unless stated #NCFA #Northcaley pic.twitter.com/Lmjc72AwQb
— North Caledonian FA (@NorthCaleyFA) January 7, 2023
Orkney set to tackle Halkirk United
Elsewhere in the NCL on Saturday, mid-table Orkney hope to play their first match of 2023 when Halkirk United, who are three points richer, come their way.
The Anglers, who defeated Nairn County A 1-0 last weekend, have won eight and lost eight this season and have yet to draw a match. They have played three games more than Orkney ahead of kick-off.
The Inverness Athletic v Alness United fixture is off due to Alness players attending a funeral
Three North Caledonian Cup openers
It is also the opening round of the North Caledonian Cup this weekend as Bonar Bridge host Golspie Sutherland, Clach reserves welcoming their Nairn County counterparts to Inverness and Invergordon visiting Thurso.
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