Debut season offers encouragement for Brora Rangers Ladies
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BRORA Rangers Ladies' manager Mary Stewart has spoken of her delight at ending the team's inaugural Highlands and Islands League season in fourth place.
She also paid tribute to and publicly thanked the team's financial backers and supporters.
The season has seen the squad develop as a team and learn from their encounters with more well-established opponents.
"The squad has grown throughout the season and there is now a strong core to build on," said Stewart.
"We believe we will be in a much stronger position for next year."
She added: "We have been very grateful to have had the support of the Rotary Club of East Sutherland, several local businesses, and latterly SSE Gordonbush funding, to help us cover our costs this season and to help towards the start of next season.
"The team have benefited from the use of the club facilities and are very appreciative of the never-ending support of Sandy Matheson, who has ensured our pitch is in great condition for every game, and the patience of Dugga Norris and his team in the social club for our post-match hospitality.
"As well as a very close knit squad of players and coaching staff, our first season has been made extra special by our fantastic supporters who have followed us from Buckie to Orkney and everything in between.
"Club photographer Justine Holmes has provided us with excellent photos, while thanks also go to our catering team, who we believe, put on the best spread in the league."
She said coaches Alan MacRae and David Watson shared her optimism about the 2020 season.
"Regular competitive football has given us the opportunity to try players in various positions and to experiment with various formations in our first season," she said.
"We believe this will enable us to hit the ground running in the coming season, which we look forward to with anticipation."
The team will continue to train over the winter and now have the resources in place to allow them to go through a full pre-season training routine.
Training takes place at Dudgeon Park in Brora at 7pm on a Thursday.
