MrMartinBlack9

Hi guys, Brora fan here. We’ve just signed Ross Hardie from your U18 squad - I know he’s obviously a youth player but has anyone got any thoughts on him? Even trying to find out what position he plays is a nightmare, according to Google he’s either a defender or midfielder. Thanks in advance for any help & all the best for the season ahead

Felt a bit under the weather Saturday, just assumed it was a cold coming on (not to give my full life story, but I struggle to leave the house due to my anxiety) & woke up Monday to a complete loss of taste & smell as well as a high temperature & body aching. Took two LFT tests to be sure & tested positive. Honestly baffled as to how I could’ve caught it as the last thing I did was attend a Highland League game last Wednesday & wasn’t near anyone at all (not many people tend to go behind the goals for the most part) Just feels like a really bad cold if I’m honest, so resting up & keeping dosed with paracetamol & ibuprofen. Long story short, if someone like me who is practically a hermit catches it, then I think that shows that we’ll probably all have to accept that we’re gonna catch it at some point, irrespective of the lives we lead. Would imagine it’d be a lot worse if I wasn’t double jabbed, but dealing with this is still preferable then not being able to do the things that we all enjoy. Let people live their lives & make their own risk assessments - tired of Clownshoes et al threatening to shut things down. Apologies for the essay.

Hi, just wondered if anyone knew whether Matthew Wright is any good? I’m a Brora fan & we’ve signed him on loan until January, so be interesting to hear your thoughts on him

Have you seen them play before? I’m a Brora fan so will be interesting to hear how yourself & other Caley fans rate them.

Following on from this, found an interesting thread on Twitter relating to sound bites of the conspiracy theorists mentioned above along with a few more besides. Genuinely don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Totally understand where you’re coming from on this, I suffer from anxiety & I’m honestly not a fan of big crowds / mingling in large groups personally, but it’s been brilliant to see other people enjoying doing those things again. I’m quite happy getting the train to watch my local Highland League team, or go out for meals with my girlfriend, seeing family & friends etc, that’s my life in a nutshell as boring as that sounds! I’m really glad to see the measures being lifted though, because at their worst (lockdown etc) I lost my confidence going out / using public transport because the rules didn’t allow me to do so - so now I’m having therapy to start getting used to being in those situations again. I guess it’s like relearning to ride a bike in a way! Long story short, I’m far from a social butterfly but seeing these restrictions getting fired into the sun is a welcome sight, for sure.

This is what worries me. I suffer from anxiety & panic attacks, so have got an exemption not to wear a mask, & getting used to going out & doing ‘normal’ things again like getting the train, being in a public setting like shops etc will be challenging enough without the thought of people hassling me / suggesting I don’t care about other people or the community in the back of my mind. If people want to carry on wearing masks after they’ve been told it’s not mandatory to, then fair play to them, but I’m hoping they’ll leave those of us who choose not to alone. Live & let live.

Deepti’s thrown her toys out the pram. You love to see it.

I can only speak for myself here, but I’m not a fan of lockdowns at all - I suffer from anxiety / agoraphobia so not being able to do the things I normally do (which are basically just having a routine of seeing my friends / family & travelling to the football - I support a Highland League team) - has set me back massively, to the point where I can’t even walk down the street without suffering from panic attacks. I’m currently receiving face to face CBT therapy (which was one hell of a struggle to get in itself, I had to go private for that) I’ve had my first jab & got my second one next month. Because of my anxiety I’m exempt from wearing a face covering, & I’m fearful of getting hassled out in public / travelling on the train because of this. Not trying to make this all about me because I’m sure others have suffered way more, whether because of the virus or what it’s done to them mentally, but I really think after someone’s received their second dose, they should be allowed to decide how to live their lives again, whether that’s taking precautions like wearing masks or not. Long story short, normality needs to come back ASAP in my opinion, because I can’t even begin to imagine the damage to people’s mental health that’s already been caused, & the scaremongering from people like the media & Deepti needs to be nipped in the bud. Apologies for the ramble.

Be interesting to find out what the stance on allowing away fans is. Know the Aberdeenshire clubs have to play behind closed doors if they’re still in Level 2, but it’d be great to finally go to Fort William away, speaking as a Brora fan.

Can’t disagree with this sadly, honestly don’t see the Highland League starting at all this season. It’ll be NCL games for me if that’s the case.

Guessing the Aberdeenshire clubs will have to play their games behind closed doors? Hopefully the HL season gets to start though.

This. Can’t see anything wrong with going to a NCL game providing social distancing is followed. Good luck chucking people out of public parks.

That definitely makes sense, maybe worth bringing the Joint Response Groups attention to it? I don’t know whether they’re aligned with the SPFL or just the SFA though. Agree with you about the season ticket scenario - I actually had one for Brora last season, but haven’t heard anything about clubs offering them this season - maybe because of the uncertainty? Saying that though, clubs in the SLFL seem to be offering them. I think you’d get a lot of people willing to buy a season ticket if it made getting crowds back / going to support their clubs easier anyway. Plus season tickets are often better value then paying on the gate for every home game.

Remember on Twitter that a lot of English non league fans / clubs started a #LetFansIn campaign that eventually caught the attention of the Sports Secretary Oliver Dowden. Just wondering if something similar is needed here? I don’t know if there’s a Scottish equivalent to try & reach out to, but something along those lines seems like it’d be worth a try - what do you guys think?

Remember on Twitter that a lot of English non league fans / clubs started a #LetFansIn campaign that eventually caught the attention of the Sports Secretary Oliver Dowden. Just wondering if something similar is needed here? I don’t know if there’s a Scottish equivalent to try & reach out to, but something along those lines seems like it’d be worth a try - what do you guys think?

This would be annoying - should be easy to social distance what with the size of Highland League grounds & the amount of people that go to the games. Safer as well, as it’s outside. Bit of common sense needed from the Government when it comes to our level of football

Phew - I’m not fussed about missing out on friendlies, but definitely looking forward to going to league games, if at all possible.

My apologies for being so one dimensional, but was just wondering if the delay on fans returning to sports stadia had any effect on the Highland League? I know the HL season isn’t due to start until October 17th, so I’m hoping that these further measures haven’t put a spanner in the works there.

Had one last season - don’t think I’ve seen any news of HL clubs doing one this season though (makes sense with all the uncertainty around, to be fair)

Just confirmation start date I think - haven’t seen the fixtures announced anywhere

Don’t suppose you could ask him when the fixtures are coming out as well? Not that I’m greedy or anything

That’s what I’m hoping - noticed supporters of sides higher up (Scottish Premier etc) seem to be quite pessimistic about the return of fans next season, but I think the Highland League should be safe enough what with the lower crowd sizes / scope for social distancing etc. Can imagine the financial boost for helping HL clubs get COVID equipment / safety measures in place will be a massive help too.

Random, but be interesting to see if the Highland League will still be allowed to start if Nicola Sturgeon announces tomorrow that restrictions will be in place like in England. Keeping my fingers crossed that fans will still be allowed to attend games at that level.

Thanks for the replies @Ginaro & @FairWeatherFan, definitely makes a lot more sense in that case