Fraserburgh striker Paul Campbell reckons Brora Rangers remain the team to beat in this season’s Highland League.
Brora are the reigning champions and got off to a convincing start on the opening weekend with a 5-0 win at Deveronvale.
The Broch are likely to be one of several teams on their tails this season, along with Inverurie Locos, Formartine United, Buckie Thistle and Rothes.
Fraserburgh started their season with a victory too – 2-0 away at Lossiemouth – and welcome Fort William to Bellslea tomorrow.
While Campbell is pleased with how his side are shaping up, he believes the Cattachs are still the favourites for the title.
He said: “With what happened last season, Brora have got to be the favourites. They finished well on top last year and hardly dropped a point.
“To say we’re going to win the league is a wee bit ambitious, as Brora have been really impressive. But there’s not many games you’re able to slip up in this year.
“If anyone does slip up then I’m sure there’ll be teams below waiting to step in. There’ll be a lot of teams up there aiming for it but at the moment, Brora are the team to beat.”
Mark Cowie looking forward to playing to crowd – even if they’re not Fraserburgh fans
Tomorrow’s opponents Fort William present somewhat of an unknown quantity for the Broch, given their new manager Ashley Hollyer has come in from the amateur ranks in Inverness and has recruited several new additions.
Campbell added: “Fort always seem to have a big change in players every season so I’m not sure what to expect. But being without football for so long, everyone is back with a bit of a buzz and that will make games more difficult.”
Fraserburgh boss Mark Cowie has been able to keep the bulk of his squad from last season intact, which Campbell hopes stands them in good stead.
This group of players won both the Aberdeenshire Shield and Cup in 2019-20, while departures have been kept to a minimum. Scott Henry has joined from Formartine United and Lewis Duncan, released by Aberdeen in the summer, has signed for his home-town club.
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Campbell said: “It’s a group of guys that’s been together for a good number of years and have played together in boys’ clubs and junior teams.
“We’re all local guys and it seems to be working well just now. We’ve all got an understanding how one another players and we’ve all been friends for a while. We’re not having to meet new people.
“It certainly helps when you’ve got a group of guys that have got years of history together.
“We’ve always been really good in cup competitions and from a league stand-point, we’ve improved our position in the last five years. We’ve been creeping up the table and want to continue improving.”
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