Highland ITFC

Was at Cambuslang, playing & coaching, earlier in the season I believe.

Just saw that Peterhead has taken Layton Bisland on loan. Wasn't he with you guys & not particularly highly rated at LL level? Seems a bit of a step up to L1 if so.

Took in the Cumbernauld-East Stirling game last night. Another good win, along with back-to-back clean sheets for the home side, who seem to be getting themselves sorted with a pretty settled side & style of play that has delivered 10 points from the last five games. They were much the better team against what I'd describe as a workmanlike side in East Stirling, who weren't helped by a red card after 30 minutes, but fair play to them in working really hard to frustrate their hosts, who at the same time didn't help themselves by not making the most of opportunities created.

Yes, but oddly only three games scheduled for today in the HL, but having said that, the weather would likely to have put paid to a good few games across places like Huntly, Keith, Rothes, Turriff, Grantown etc, as it did the Brora-Wick game, as still pretty white & cold up here. As it was the sea level grounds at Clach & Buckie had to pass matchday morning pitch inspections. It's also an eternal debate up here as to whether better use could be made of early season midweeks in order to get ahead of the inevitable winter weather related postponements, & save on what can sometimes be an end-of-season period of Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Wednesday games in order to finish according to the required play-off related schedule.

This is always an interesting discussion. I've watched a lot of Highland League football over the last few years, & have started watching Lowland League this season. My observations of HL clubs, which I'm thinking will likely be similar in the LL, is that there's a few tiers / steps of clubs financially. Firstly there are those that have good sponsorship income, get decent (for the level) crowds to their home fixtures to deliver a reasonable income stream that way, & have strong commercial activity (to raise further income beyond sponsorship) to deliver further funds, with this usually being allied to a good degree of success on the pitch, & generally speaking these clubs would seem to have the best 'quality' of volunteers in terms of their creativity & commercial nous in order to generate return on their investment in terms of volunteering time. Some of these volunteers will get some kind of financial recompense for their time, such as a commission on income generated; & some indeed will even be paid employees of a club, although don't believe that this is that common. The second level would be those that have strong sponsorship income & largely rely on this, topped up by achieving reasonable home gates, based on the success that the sponsorship income has effectively delivered over the years. These clubs don't seem on the face of it to work as hard on developing other revenue opportunities through events, so the seriously engaged community & fanbase would seem to be more limited, & could easily evaporate if the sponsorship cash & related level / success on the pitch were to dry up. The third level would be those that do OK sponsorship-wise, but absolutely work their arses off to generate revenue through a lot of community / fan events, including having a strong social club. You get the sense that their fans are more 'in it for the long term', regardless of how relative levels of success may come & go over the years, & for the most part would stick with the club if / as / when the chips are down. The fourth & final level would be those that don't do so well on the sponsorship front, don't do as much to build other commercial income, & don't necessarily enjoy good gates for matchday income, & their relative success on the pitch allies to this, with their volunteer base being no less hardworking, but very much based around the day-to-day operations of the club, rather than working in a hugely strategic manner in order to try & drive the club forward commercially off the pitch, & therefore give a chance to enhance the situation on the pitch. A small hardcore of fans of these type of clubs could be said to be the most long-suffering of any. Wonder what thoughts would be regarding how this does or doesn't translate to the LL, which I'm observing overall seems to broadly be a step up from the HL?

Thought Cumbernauld were much the better side. Put EK under a lot of pressure through great desire & intensity in pressing in their own half, & consequently won a lot of ball in good positions. Good quality & creativity on the ball, allied with decent pace down the flanks, frequently exposing EK down the flanks especially. Should have killed the game in the first 5 minutes of the second half but didn't take any of three good chances, which did serve to offer EK some hope of getting something from the game, but even throwing everything into the Colts' box in the last 5-10 minutes, they didn't seem to be much belief that they would get anything. Thought EK looked less fit, & if not then certainly less 'up for it', than Cumbernauld, & were very one dimensional in their play, with a hell of a lot of long balls forward after a few passes at the back & in midfield being either dealt with by the home back four, or over-hit & running out for goalkicks. On last night's showing, you'd have thought that positions in the table were the other way around.

Or they could have played it on the same pitch after the friendly, enabling fans to stay on watch the second game & their young prospects. Two games, one after the other, is done all the time in these four club tournaments that routinely occur pre-season, & that have been taking place during the World Cup break, so just needed a bit of thought from Rangers for a win for all parties.

Heard that the Rangers B-Cumbernnauld game is off. Any others fallen victim to the weather?

This is true enough, & from a commercial perspective one can't argue, but with the actual charge being more like 1% / £1 fee for every £100 banked, charging a full extra £1 is perhaps a tad OTT, & have to say that it's not something that I've come across elsewhere. Could serve to out off the casual fan / neutral / groundhopper, &/or mean that folk won't then put their hand in their pocket for half-time draw &/or spend as much at the pie shop. The other thing from a business perspective is that if you want to charge a premium price for your product, then you really need to have a premium product to give in return. I mean no disrespect to Cowdenbeath in saying this, as am just putting it out there as an objective view from somebody that goes to a lot of football at Level 5, but neither the overall match-day environment / experience, or the product on the pitch itself can be classed as premium, so can the club be warranted in being the most expensive for entry in at a level when £8 is more often than not the going rate? Looking at some of the prior comments from Cowden posters, & bearing in mind the current economic situation, would it be better to be getting some positive coverage by trying some initiatives to seek to optimise the gate through creative schemes at lower entry prices, & seek to grow both the fanbase & income that way? There are certainly a few clubs out there that are trying such things, & it always gets good press, & in the very visible case of Open Goal Broomhill, it certainly seems to work aswell!

Took this one in yesterday as a neutral, my first time visiting Central Park. A bit surprised to be asked for £11 for the privilege, as haven't previously come across an entry price of more than £10 at Level 5, & I think £8 at all other LL games to which I've been this season. Looks like there's a fair bit of infrastructure to maintain though, but can't help thinking that attracting 200 folk at £8, or 320 at £5 (per the Friday night football suggestion) would be better for everybody - club, fans, players, pie shop - than 146 at £11. As well as promoting the lower price offer, the lower cost would also surely attract more paying punters. On to the game, looked like the pitch decreased the potential for either side to be consistently playing attractive football on the deck, but of what was played, Cumbernauld were much the better in that department; but too much was in the middle third of the pitch, & they struggled / failed to a) get in behind the Cowdenbeath defence out wide to turn them & enable early crosses in behind, b) didn't have runners from midfield looking to get beyond their lone striker, & c) put every set piece delivery on the heads of Cowdenbeath's raft of tall defenders, rather than try anything different / creative. From the Cowdenbeath perspective, it looked a team to be built on a solid backline - with Davidson being key as others have already mentioned - & a lot of hard work apart from that. Didn't seem to be a great deal of quality & creativity in the side, but if you can manage to stay in games by keeping the opposition out - somebody else posted stats on what is a decent recent defensive record - & then nick something at the end, then whilst not the most attractive way to play, if it wins you football matches then the end result justifies the means. Plaudits also to the manager who with his side up against it in the latter stages of the first period, made a change at half-time, & then when that still hadn't stemmed the flow in the early period of the second half, made two more changes, after which Cowdenbeath looked a better side & evened things out play wise. Contrast that with Cumbernauld, who's first change midway through the second half was to bring on a holding midfielder, & only once a goal behind did he throw on an extra striker. Seemed to me that a couple of positive changes to look to keep their hosts on the back foot would have been the way to go. So overall, fair play to Cowdenbeath for finding a way to get the three points, whereas Cumbernauld will be thinking how the hell did they manage to lose it, along with a bit of soul searching over what they could have done differently to have made it otherwise.

I thought some time ago that it would be quite interesting to have a composite of all the individual predictions that folk have made on this thread. Coming across the thread again the other day, & with the league starting to take some early season shape, with just over a quarter of games played, thought why not crack on & do it. So ..... based strictly on all the 1-10 predictions submitted - haven't taken into account those that were incomplete & just predicted top & bottom, or top, bottom & playoffs - & using a simple scoring of 1st = 10 points, 2nd = 9, & so on down to 10th = 1 point, here's how the composite prediction table stacks up: 1: Stenhousemuir 297 points 2: Forfar 295 3: Dumbarton 221 4: Annan 206 5: Stirling 202 6: Bonnyrigg 188 7: Stranraer 137 8: East Fife 115 9: Elgin 108 10: Albion 56 So there you go for what it's worth. Thoughts!

Can certainly see then why the majority of LL clubs are keen to take the SPFL dollar if it means that they can keep more of their own cash for player budget & other costs relating to running a club, even if in an ideal world a few that voted for the B teams to participate would rather it wasn't the case. As a general observation from somebody that's new to the LL - I've watched HL games for years but taking in some LL this season - & having been to Cumbernauld & Spartans games so far & checked out clubs online, the general level of set-up - broadly facilities at clubs & the way that they market / promote themselves - seems a step up from the HL, & the league seems generally more competitive from top to bottom, with no obvious makeweights / basket case teams.

Would I be right to assume that other clubs benefit from a share of those entry fees, rather than the League just keeping hold of them?

Ditto that comment for the SPFL2 situation.

Thanks to all those that have offered thoughts. In response to cowdenbeath's queries / comments above, I do like to go to a few different grounds, & from that ideally looking to find a club that I can follow that have a good set-up & play decent football. Was thinking LL, but as WoS was suggested as a potential alternative, happy to check that out aswell. Not interested in any politics / aggro between leagues & their respective fans / proponents....just a fan of decent football & good clubs / football people.

Thanks for the response & initial thoughts Spyro. I'll still be based in the Highlands, but will be spending more time in Glasgow, including over some weekends, so looking to scout some good football to watch around the city / area. Thought LL due to it being the counterpart to HL, but having looked at WOSFL & EOSFL, looks like the WOS Prem could present a few options without needing to travel too far. What would be your further thoughts based on that? Keen on watching / following sides that play decent football, rather than dull long-ball stuff. Thanks!

Following on from the mention of the Highland League, that's where I've historically watched my football, along with Elgin, but this year it looks like a change of circumstances could mean an opportunity to watch some Lowland League games. Which teams would seasoned LL watchers recommend to seek out from the perspective of which play decent football on the deck? Thanks folks.

Yes, definitely agree with that re Buckie. Would imagine that he'll be eyeing the possibility of returning to SFL2 via a promotion with Buckie. They certainly have a very strong squad. Would be good to see them up alongside Elgin, & hopefully not swapping positions. From an Elgin perspective, given the manager has been bemoaning how hard it has been to recruit, hopefully the money freed up will help in the search for another decent striker, as looking decidedly lightweight in the goalscoring department at present.

Played at left back for Elgin, but also saw him play the second half of the Buckie-Aberdeen game a couple of weeks back at centre back. Very composed on the ball & uses it well. Physically strong for a youngster, & didn't appear to let older pros fluster or intimidate him. Good energy & workrate, & drove forward well from left back. Seemed to have a good sense of when to sit in, with good positional sense, & when to go forward. Looks to be a good next step for his development, & should be a good addition for you I'd expect. Didn't Ross Graham follow the same pathway, & he's doing alright for himself?!

Pre-season is always a notoriously difficult time to judge how teams may fare when the action proper commences. On the face of it Elgin would seem to be building quite nicely with all the clean sheet results against SHFL opposition - & the Peterhead win looked good until you saw the detail of their team - but suspect it will be when the cup games begin that we'll really see how the team is set. I went to the Forres-Elgin game last night, & the first 45 minutes has to be the best that I've seen an Elgin side move both the ball & players around the pitch, & Forres struggled to get near them. In particular the central midfield three of Mailer, Dingwall & Cameron looked very promising, & both Machedo & Lawrence look like they're pushing for starting places, with both showing good form down the flanks. Strength in depth is perhaps still an issue, as T&G is correct that whilst the young lads are definitely progressing well, in reality most will be bench fillers or going our on loan. Word from a couple of club personnel (1 coach & 1 senior player) with whom I spoke last night was that they're still seeking another two or three players, especially a left back - Cairns can play there but is right-footed - & a striker. In addition, Antoniazzi who was in on trial last night looked decent quality when he came on in the second half, & would seem to be a good addition if he ends up being signed. So lots of positive signs, but then Elgin fans have seen those in past, so fingers crossed that they turn into something tangible this season.

How long to first red card?

Very impressed with Strathspey against Elgin the other night. Pretty much all ex-ICT, County & Elgin lads, & played some excellent football, as well as being fit, hard-working & organised. Had the better of Elgin for most of the first half & first part of the second, before Elgin bucked their ideas up & eventually came up with a late winner to take it 2-1. Definitely a comfortable mid-table opportunity for Strathspey this season, & would be surprised to see them struggling down the bottom end.

Completely agree of course that players have to be good enough, but you've maybe missed my point that if the Club is investing so much time, effort & money in the Academy, then surely one would expect it to be producing results, as otherwise what's the point of having it? From what I've seen in recent seasons, there is the positive of giving out a good number of debuts to the youngsters with a few minutes towards the end of a game, as has happened for time immemorial across football, but then the steady introduction of which you rightly speak then doesn't seem to happen from there. Some managers clearly trust in youth & will consistently give young players regular opportunities in games to enable that gradual introduction - if they don't get them then nobody really knows how they'll react & develop - whilst others may talk about it, & give the gestures of the debuts, but don't actually follow up by as I say seemingly consistently trusting themselves about the youngsters, or the youngsters themselves. I think it's a fair observation that Elgin over recent seasons have been one of those clubs, & if that doesn't change, then the Academy is effectively producing nothing for the club. Re the two players mentioned, perhaps not surprising that we saw or heard nothing of them last season, given that they moved on last summer & the Highland League season didn't actually happen in '20/'21. Hopefully they'll show up well from the start of the new season.

A shame to see Wilson decide that he needed to move on, but for me it's another sign of the disconnect between the First Team set-up, & the much heralded Academy youth development at the club. Over the last few years there's a lot of youngsters that have been given their debuts with a few minutes here & there, but other than David Wilson, none have had the opportunity to establish themselves & develop with continued opportunities in the First Team squad. Even with David, he's only made about 50 appearances in 4 seasons, with two or three short spells in the side, around long periods of bench warming. You could of course say that he's not been good enough, but he actually came through the youth set-up as an energetic central defensive midfielder, with a happy knack of pitching in with a few goals from set pieces, but Gavin decided that he was a right back in the First Team, & for me he's never looked the same player there. Folk might quote Aiden Sopel as a success story, but remember that he actually came through the ICT youth set-up, then spent a season at Peterhead before coming to Elgin, so not a product of Elgin's Academy. There's also been a tendency to bring in loan players, &/or poor quality signings like McGowan, rather than give our own youngster first opportunity, & this has without doubt contributed to the likes of Ashley Ballam & Liam McDade, to give two examples, deciding that after several seasons of loan football, & only the odd few minutes with the First Team, that they were better to reject contract offers & go elsewhere. That's now happened with the one guy who did come through into the First Team, as beyond Wilson you're going back to McHardy, Cameron & Cooper as the last 'products' of the youth set-up. Rory McEwan was of course also there, but he spent three seasons away developing with Stirling Uni before then coming back. Not sure he would have got the same chance to develop by playing at Elgin. There's a further crop of youngsters that have been given First Team squad contracts this season, but based on recent history, I'll be very surprised if even one or two end up with proper opportunities with the actual team. I hope that I'm proved wrong, but with the investment in & professionalism of the club's Academy, we surely should have seen more of the graduates being given a proper chance to show what they can do?

Yet another striker brought in today.....Craig Brown on loan to end of season from Uni of Stirling. Unless they think he's a prospect that they want to take a look at with a view to a longer term deal, then seems a bit of an odd one. Think that's six strikers now, & according to the club website, squad is now up to 24 players in total which is large for L2 standards. Can't be too strapped cash-wise which is obviously a good thing!