Five-times North Caledonian League winners Halkirk United are taking gradual steps on the way back to becoming competitive in the chase for silverware.
Last season, with the divisions split in two due to the pandemic, the Anglers finished bottom of League One, although the low number of fixtures had a lot to do with that.
United last won the title five years ago and also took the championship in 2011, 2012 and 2014, proving to be real powerhouses at this level in the past decade.
Two years ago, when Covid stopped the season being completed, Halkirk were sixth, although well adrift of the front-runners, with Invergordon leading the way.
Since winning the title in 2016, Halkirk have been third, eighth and eighth again, so they’ve fallen down the pecking order in recent times.
The wait is nearly over. ⏰⚽️#northcaley #weareback #newseason pic.twitter.com/wj9a3q6b5K
— North Caledonian FA (@NorthCaleyFA) August 18, 2021
Manager Ewan McElroy is getting set for his first full season in charge and is looking to shape his side within the opening few weeks of the season, using the current group as a solid base to build upon.
He said: “We have only just started pre-season. With an alternative summer programme in Caithness this year, it has made it slightly more difficult to start.
“There has not been any wholesale changes from last year. We have a young and enthusiastic squad and kept it much and such the same.
“We will likely be adding a couple new boys over the next couple weeks, but our main aim is to work with the boys already here and see if we can push them on.”
Hard work will bring Halkirk up
McElroy has aspirations to drive the club back towards a challenging position, but he insists it’s a case of one step at a time right now.
He added: “We knew when we joined that, in order to compete again, it was not going to happen overnight and was going to take a lot of hard work.
“Of course, we have aspirations of competing again and, in order to do that, our objective is to continue to improve and challenge the squad as we go.”
Tight affair on day one?
Halkirk kick off with a tasty tussle at home to Thurso on Saturday and the host manager reckons it will be a close call.
He said: “These fixtures are usually tight games and I can’t see that being any different on Saturday. Although we are probably a couple weeks away from being fully fit, all the squad are looking forward to it.”
