Orkney were the last team outwith Golspie Sutherland to land the North Caledonian League title.
And there’s a real determination that, now a season like no other has passed, they can once again be a team with real title intentions.
Just three years ago, Orkney clinched the league crown and the Football Times Cup, but Golspie have bagged the top honours in two of the last three seasons, with the term in between affected by Covid.
2021/22 NORTH CALEDONIAN LEAGUE FIXTURES #NorthCaley
The fixtures for the 2021/22 @MacandMac28 North Caledonian League season have now be released.
Fixtures up to the end of 2021 can be found here https://t.co/sSTlH9fGjw
Roll on 21st August!! ⚽⚽⚽ pic.twitter.com/0e0bPU2pm0
— North Caledonian FA (@NorthCaleyFA) June 29, 2021
A fifth-place finish within League One was the net result as the clubs were split into two divisions last season in reaction to the pandemic and the travel restrictions in place. For Orkney, it was a campaign which didn’t reflect the true capabilities of sides, including their own.
Manager Charlie Alway wants Orkney to be in a position to shoot for the pyramid play-offs in 2025 in line with the Island Games, now that has become a reality after being voted through in May.
Currently, only Golspie have the criteria to compete for that coveted place in the Highland League, which has just been introduced this season for the winners of the NCL, the North Super League and the Midlands League, which covers Tayside.
Orkney up to speed for new term
In the meantime, Alway is eager for ‘talented’ team to get back to pushing for the title.
He said: “We’re looking forward to getting what we would call a real season played. We expect to go into it in the great shape that we would normally go into a regular season.
“The boys are up to speed, they are match fit and we’d expect to start the new campaign in the same way we’ve started the last five or six, with the exception of the Covid season.
“Some of our boys couldn’t commit because of Covid. Many work in the trade and they could be sitting on the ferry with someone they’d never met and be pinged when they get home and they’ve lost 10 days of wages.
“We faced a challenge fulfilling the fixtures in a meaningful way, but we were determined to do so. Last season apart, we’ve been in the top three in the previous five and the internal expectation is that we’d been competitive again.
“The players, committee and management team here don’t like to think we’re going to be also-rans. Our aim and intention are to get ourselves into positions to play in big games.
“You might lose a game, that happens in football, but you want to go on and win the next four or five and get yourself back in the mix for the next big game. Let’s just say a fifth-place finish next year would be a disappointment.”
Trimph in Shetland is extra lift
And the manager explained that a big success this summer has put an extra spring in their step ahead of their kick-off away to Inverness Athletic on August 28.
He said: “We have the internal eight-team league running in Orkney and that’s been going well.
“The Orkney team, of which many play for me in the winter, recently beat Shetland in the Milne Cup. It was the first time Orkney had won in Shetland in 40 years, so that was good for us.”
Welcome additions to NCL
Nairn County reserves, Loch Ness and Scourie joined the set-up last term and Alway says facing the newcomers enhances the enjoyment for his group.
He said: “There is an excitement as we’re going to be playing a few teams that we’ve never played before, which really motivates the guys.
“There’s a lot of football played in Orkney, but a lot of it against very familiar faces, so it’s lovely to go out and test ourselves against a few new teams. That adds to the wonder of the competition.”
