23/09/2026
A few weeks in football can tell you a lot about a group.
We’ve had some contrasting results recently. An 8–1 cup win over Wigtown showed the attacking quality we have in this squad, while the 5–2 defeat against Troon was, in many ways, another positive marker for us against strong Lowland League opposition.
The Stranraer result was a disappointing one and I made it clear afterwards that I wanted a response from the players.
We got exactly that against Annan Athletic.
To go away from home, win 4–0 and record our first clean sheet of the season was a huge step forward for us. There were some superb performances throughout the team, particularly in the areas where we had challenged the players to improve.
It was also great to give debuts to Joel Haile and Ewan Taylor, with Joel marking his first appearance with his first goal for the club.
What pleased me most was the mentality of the group. We didn’t just talk about responding, the players went out and produced one.
With no fixture for us this weekend due to the break in the domestic programme while Scotland are in international action, the timing probably suits us.
Training numbers have been depleted over the last couple of weeks through injury and illness. Ryan McLennan has been unavailable through illness, Cammy Crawford has picked up a knock, captain Jamie White has been recovering from a serious cut below his Achilles, Kajally has been out injured and Josh Dalton is now dealing with a lower back problem.
That is a significant amount of experience and quality missing from a squad that is still developing together, so the free weekend gives us a chance to get bodies back, reset and prepare properly for what is coming next.
And what is coming is exciting.
Next week we travel to Mid Annandale for a cup semi final.
For a club still at the beginning of its journey, competing for a place in a final is exactly the type of occasion we want to be involved in.
We know we are still building. There will be good days, difficult days and plenty of lessons along the way, but you can already see the character, quality and togetherness beginning to develop within this group.
The Annan performance showed what this team is capable of when everything comes together.
Now the challenge is to build on it.
A semi final next.
Plenty more to come from Saltire City.
