AWAY MATCH Vs ROTHES FC AT MACKESSACK PARK, ROTHES KO. 3PM
This week we’re on our travels again, this time along the A95 for a Breedon Highland League match at one of our nearest clubs, geographically speaking, to visit our good friends at Rothes’ Mackessack Park ( AB38 7BX) in the heart of whisky country. Rothes at the moment are having a good season and sit sixth in the Breedon Highland League on forty four points so it will be a daunting task for us to come away with all three points – but football is football. Hopefully we’ll have a fully fit squad for Charlie to pick from.
Last week’s equaliser scored by Kris Duncan
Last week in a hard fought match against mid-table Deveronvale at Seafield Park, Kris Duncan equalised in the 88th minute to give the Jags a point which delighted the home fans, and, which according to all concerned seemed to be a fair result. This was our first point in ages, thanks to CoVid and postponements, and hopefully we can add a good few more although we now enter another series of exceptionally tough games. Manager Charlie Brown made a few changes to the starting eleven and switched the team around culminating in a good second half performance especially in the final twenty minutes. As ever we thank the local paper The Strathy for their continued support and you can read all about the game here.
PLAYER NEWS We have resigned Jake Thompson on loan from Elgin City until the end of the season.
Jake Thompson
Kane Davies has returned to his parent club Rothes FC.
Our Club Lottery jackpot this week is £1900.00 – so if you don’t already have a ticket you can play online here – thanks very much for supporting the club.
Home Game at Seafield Park v Deveronvale FC Saturday 22 January 2022 – 3pm kick off
Looks like a tasty encounter this week at Seafield Park, as the Jags play their first home game since the sixth of November. It is a Breedon Highland League encounter against our friends from Banff, Deveronvale FC.
As we have said before, hopefully we can now start a steady run of games as it has been hard for boss Charlie Brown, his management team and the boys getting game time over the past couple of months thanks to the weather and CoVid issues – but, fingers crossed and with some good weather we, hopefully, will start putting some points on the board and are able to start climbing the league.
Lone scorer Craig Mackenzie
Last week we had a disappointing performance, according to Charlie in the Strathy, the local paper, in a 5-1 defeat at Keith our lone scorer was Craig Mackenzie.
Would spectators at the game respect Co-Vid rulings and we would like for supporters with cars to please use the Golf Club car park which is adjacent to Seafield Park – again we thank the Golf Club for letting us use their parking facilities during the winter months.
As ever we wish the Jags all the best.
Committee members and a very helpful volunteer.
As you can imagine over the next couple of months we are going to be very busy at Seafield Park with home fixtures, especially midweek as we try to fulfil our league programme. With this in mind we will only have a couple of days in some instances to repair the pitch and ready it for the next match – so if there are any supporters or any one who would like to give the committee some help in this it would be most grateful – usually its a 9.30 start on a Monday/Tuesday after a Saturday game or a Thursday/Friday after a midweek one.
Depending on how many of us are available we should hopefully be finished by lunchtime and all you need is a garden fork and a pair of wellies….and warm clothing if there’s a nip in the air!.
Phone Donly McLeod – 07709 990 286 for timings if you can make it – it would really be a great help! Thank you.
And….our weekly reminder about the Club Lottery – this week the jackpot is £1800.00 – play here.
This week we travel to Keith for our Breedon Highland League match against Keith FC at Kynoch Park (AB55 5EB)
Unfortunately the boys were too quick for our photographer…..
Charlie and the boys spent last weekend training on the dunes at Nairn beach – according to them all it was most enjoyable and may be repeated in the future. Hopefully that’s put them all in good stead for the Saturday’s game which will be our first competitive game in 2022 and our first for a month. We wish the team all the best and hope they come back with 3 points, and if you’re going to the game….. stay safe.
Unfortunately this Saturday’s home game with Turriff United in the Breedon Highland League has had been postponed. Seafield Park is still frozen ….so that’ll be a month since we played our last competitive game due to either weather or co-vid . We just hope that next week all is well in the world so we can travel to Keith and be able to play a game of football!!.
From the Elgin City FC twitter feed on January 2
DYLAN LAWRENCE
We are delighted to announce 18 year old striker Dylan Lawrence has signed his first pro contract. The forward is contracted to the Club until 2023. The youngster will now join Strathspey Thistle on a Season long loan to gain some more game time.
Dylan signing on for Elgin City FC watched over by Elgin manager Gavin Price.
Welcome to Strathspey Thistle FC Dylan….. and we hope you are ultra successful here…
Ethan Cairns has been recalled to Inverness Thistle after joining us on loan last summer – we wish him all the best in his footballing career and thank him very much for what he did here at Seafield Park.
However – the Club Lottery continues and last Sunday (9th) we had our first online success – Stephen Matheson from Grantown won the £100 prize. This week the top prize is £1600. So please go online and please support the Club by playing. Just click here.
December 2 We welcome Steve Rattray who has joined the club to work with the team management as both match-day physio and part of the coaching staff.
December 4 We were able to arrange at short notice a friendly against an Elgin City XI at the new football complex next to their Borough Briggs ground. The pitch is 4G and the facilities are really impressive. Use will be made of the complex seven days a week.
December 10 John Campbell will succeed Rod Houston as the Breedon Highland League’s new secretary, replacing Rod at the end of the season. Rod has been secretary for six years and has been a big help to me personally since I joined Strathspey. John is 53 and from Lossiemouth. He was a referee in the SHFL and the Scottish League and has been CEO of the Scottish Welfare Football Association for the last ten years.
December 11 After receiving a call from Wick FC’s secretary that the game was on we left Grantown and Inverness and headed north on the A9. A break in the journey was made at Golspie before arriving at Harmsworth Park just as the weather started to change for the worst. Conditions were difficult for both sides with the Jags more than holding their own only to concede a penalty right on half-time which Wick converted. To compound our problems we lost goalkeeper Robbie Donaldson to a straight red card two minutes into the second half. Andrew Skinner took over in goal and was outstanding considering the pressure he and the team were under.
Andrew Skinner without the keeper’s gloves!
It was a long journey home with thoughts turning to the visit of Forres Mechanics next Saturday, weather permitting.
Click here to play the STFC Lottery and support the club
December 13 The search was now on for a replacement keeper for the next game as Michael MacCallum has a broken finger and it is not known when he will be fit.
The weather in the early part of the week was mild and the pitch, after rolling, was in good condition. Grantown Golf Club have given us permission to use their car park as an overflow if we need to in order to protect the grassed area running from the main entrance to the Golf Club fence.
December 18 As the weather has changed and snow and frost are forecast a pitch inspection was arranged for Friday afternoon at 4pm and again at 10am on the morning of the match. A frozen pitch meant the game was called off, much to everyone’s disappointment and the long range forecast leading up to the holiday game with Clacnacuddin at Seafield Park also doesn’tlook promising.
December 23 We have allowed Andrew MacLean to join Alness United on loan for a week and have signed Ryan Hunter, formerly of Fort William, as a one game replacement for the suspended Robbie Donaldson.
At a meeting of the Highland League instructions were received that all signed players are to test daily using lateral flow testing kits and sending the results to the club. The club also decided to suspend boardroom and paying guests hospitality in order to help the fight against Omicron and Covid. Hospitality for the Clachnacuddin game had been sold out. Ewan Neil and Shane Davies have had their loans extended to the end of the season.
December 26 After a pitch inspection at 4pm the game with Clachnacuddin was called off due to a frozen park. A disappointing end to 2021 and let’s hope for a good start to 2022 at Lossiemouth on Sunday January 3.
Click here to play the STFC Lottery and support the club
The away game v Lossiemouth FC at Grant Park, Lossiemouth on Monday 3 January 2022 has been postponed because of a Co-Vid outbreak in the Lossie playing squad. On contacting the Highland League with the information permission was given to postpone.
Lossiemouth
We were hoping for a visit to the seaside and our first fixture of the New Year and hopefully get our first game of football in a month ….but it is not to be and the fixture against the team currently immediately above us in the Breedon Highland League will have to wait until later in the season.
We now look forward to our next home which will be on Saturday 8 January 2022 against Turriff United – another six pointer!!! Hopefully the Jags will be not too rusty due to their lack of competitive matches over the past six weeks or so as it will be a tough game.
What a great start to the new year too would be a win on the Club Lottery – please click on the logo to play online. >>>>>>>>> The Lottery is very important for the Club – so thanks for your support in 2021.
Sorry folks but the game tomorrow vs Inverness Clachnacuddin has been postponed as the pitch is still frozen and as ever safety is paramount in the decision making – so unfortunately no game. We now have to look forward, in the New Year, to our next Breedon Highland League game which is away to Lossiemouth FC on Monday 3 January KO 3pm.
MATCH V INVERNESS CLACHNACUDDIN – SEAFIELD PARK MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021 KO 3pm
We hope you have all had a very enjoyable Christmas and we hope Santa was good to you and you’ve not overeaten or consumed too many aperitifs…….. If you are coming to the match could you please observe our CoVid protocols and stay safe.
We have permission from Grantown Golf Club to use their car parking facilities instead of using the grass area to the right sight of the stadium entrance gates. There will be signage for directions to the car park which is situated more or less next to the stadium. Blue Badge holders will still be able to park as normal.
Home Match v Inverness Clachnacuddin FC on Monday 27 December 3pm kick off
Strathspey Thistle FC players, staff and management committee would like to wish our loyal supporters, and everyone else a very Merry Christmas.
After we welcome Santa Claus into our homes, we then welcome Inverness Clachnacuddin FC to Seafield Park for a Breedon Highland League match on Monday 27 December 3pm kick off.
Reports in this week local newspaper, the “Strathy”, confirm the signing for a month, as a trialist, of former Fort William keeper Ryan Hunter and he will go straight in to the team to face Clach – – see last weeks post for more details.
Manager Charlie Brown says that we are starting a group of games in that we must not lose points – we have had a tough few weeks playing the top seven teams so we must make the following games count for a better league placement…..
As is usual at this time of the year/season we are at the mercy of the weather, as was proved again last week when the game against Forres Mechanics was postponed after an 11am pitch inspection we are also combatting CoVid again.
So, if all goes well, weather and CoVid wise, we wish Charlie and the boys all the best for Monday.
