Brora Rangers manager Steven Mackay expects 2024/25 Highland League title race to be as open as it has been for years
Steven Mackay expects the 2024/25 to feature one of the most open title races the Highland League has seen in years – with Brora Rangers right in the thick of it.
Previous years have seen Buckie Thistle battle it out with the likes of Brechin City and Fraserburgh for the crown, following multiple years of silverware coming to Dudgeon Park.
Banks O’Dee have also established themselves as a threat after joining from the junior ranks, so on paper it would appear the days of one or two sides dominating the rest are gone.
Mackay certainly expects a handful of sides to be competing for the title, but he says that big name arrivals this summer at Brora – like former Caley Thistle stars Cammy Mackay and Shane Sutherland – do not put any extra pressure on the club to succeed on top of what they would be used to.
“I think it’s probably going to be one of the most competitive seasons we’ve seen in recent years,” Mackay reasoned.
“Historically you would have a couple of front-runners, maybe three, but I honestly believe there will be six or seven that will fancy their chances this season, and quite rightly so.
“Most teams have strengthened, and it’s going to be super competitive. That’s great, that’s what you want and why we love the Highland League, because it’s competitive.
“Last season showed that because it went down to the wire, so a lot of teams will fancy their chances and it will be interesting to see who gets off to a good start and who can sustain a challenge. We will certainly be one of the teams looking to do that.
“Being at Brora, since I first signed in 2013 or 2014, there has always been pressure to deliver. Nothing has changed on that front, there is always going to be that expectation.
“It’s something that I personally like. I like the pressure of having to be up there challenging for the title and having to win trophies.
“A lot of the players have a similar mentality, so we’re all clear that the moment you sign on the dotted line for Brora Rangers, there will be an expectation to deliver, and that’s what our intention is this season.”
With a big overhaul of the playing squad required this summer with the retirements and exits of many Cattachs stars, the new season represents something of a fresh start for Mackay’s men.
Having previously brought a lot of success to Dudgeon Park, though, Mackay says his fundamental approach will not change drastically.
“We want to be a very fit and athletic team, that’s just how I like to set up,” he added.
“The personnel will be very different to the Brora team that I had back in the 2018/19 season, , and tactically we might have a little bit of a tweak just because of that, but the basics will be the same.
“We will like to press high with intensity and we’ve got so many players now in the squad who are so comfortable on the ball that we will look to be a possession-based team as much as possible and play in all the right areas.
“The squad is just full of players who are comfortable on the ball, which is great for us to work with.”
