Campbell conscious of goal difference
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Brora Rangers fans could be forgiven for thinking Monday’s match against Fort William presents an opportunity to boost their goal difference, but even Cattachs boss Craig Campbell has one eye on their tally.
It is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested title races the Highland League has seen in years, with seven teams inside eight points of each other going into 2022.
Brora are right in that mix themselves, and with league leaders Fraserburgh travelling to fellow contenders Brechin City the opportunity is there on Monday to steal a march on at least one of their rivals.
With it being bottom of the table Fort William coming to Dudgeon Park too, there will not be too many expecting a close encounter, and Campbell knows that goal difference could prove pivotal by the end of the campaign.
Brora showed their eye for goal is as strong as ever in a 4–4 draw with Formatine on Monday, and Campbell wants more next week.
“I said to the boys that if you’re going anywhere away from home and scoring four goals, you shouldn’t be coming away without a victory,” Campbell stressed.
“We’ll look to go and build on it again and try and get back to keeping clean sheets and scoring a few goals.
“It’s such a competitive league this year. There are a lot of big fixtures with the top teams playing against each other soon, so I think it will get even tighter over the next few weeks.
“It could come down to goal difference, so hopefully we get a clean sheet on Monday and score a few.”
With most expecting a one-sided result, it will be key that Brora keep their composure and not take their opponents too lightly.
“No disrespect, but it sometimes becomes a bit frustrating if you don’t score early,” Campbell said.
“People start wondering what’s going on, but you’ve just got to go about your business, do the right things and keep the ball moving quickly while working hard.
“If you do all that, then a good result will come.”
Final calls on team selection were due to be made after training last night, with Campbell hesitant to look too far ahead given the rising number of Covid cases that have seen some Highland League matches postponed.
“Everyone thought we were through the worst of it, but we seem to be back to where we were at with testing every day and keeping an eye on things,” he added.
“Obviously with the rules saying that if close contacts or household members catch it, even if you don’t have it you have to isolate, it can become a problem pretty quickly. We’re just taking at each day as it comes.”
