Elgin City manager Gavin Price is hoping he can secure the services of former boss Jim Weir for longer.
Ex-Montrose, Arbroath, Brechin and Forfar manager Weir recently confirmed he’s weighing up the chance to continue his work with the Black and Whites after coming in to assist Price in March.
Weir, who Price replaced in the Borough Briggs hot-seat in 2017, has made a positive impact back around the Moray side.
With Elgin determined to get back into promotion contention from League 2 next term, Price revealed talks are ongoing to make the working relationship extend beyond the summer.
He said: “I would like Jim to stay on and I am doing all I can to make that happen.
“I am trying to persuade Jim to stay on. I work really well with him and we have a good friendship. He’s an asset to the club.
“There is certainly a role for him at the club, even if it was just on Saturdays.
“Jim seems to be enjoying being back involved and I would like to make it a longer-term arrangement.
“With (assistant manager) Steven Mackay here, too, we have a good structure at the club.”
Double delights for goalkeepers
Price, meanwhile, is in fine fettle after goalkeepers Daniel Hoban and Oliver Kelly signed one-year contract extensions which will keep them at the club until next summer.
Hoban, 24, nudged reliable number one Thomas McHale out of the team and has amassed 18 appearances, mainly between February and this month.
Kelly, 20, will gain experience next term with a loan switch to Highland League side Strathspey Thistle.
The manager reckons the club is in a good place when it comes to keepers and is sure Hoban and McHale will continue to provide each other healthy competition for the starting jersey.
He said: “Daniel and Oliver signed contracts, which means our goalkeeping situation is sorted for next season.
“We have two excellent keepers in Daniel and Thomas, while Olly will go on loan to Strathspey Thistle next year.
Contract Extensions
We are pleased to announce Goalkeepers Daniel Hoban & Oliver Kelly have signed one year contract extensions which will keep them at the Club until Summer 2023 ✍️ 🖤 pic.twitter.com/wkGDx5pf2y
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) April 25, 2022
“It has been a long time since Elgin has been in this position. The club has relied on loan keepers in recent years, but we now have two first-choice keepers who bring one another on and they work very well together.
“There really hasn’t been much between them. Thomas has been unlucky where – through work commitments – he lost his place.
“Daniel came in and was very good and kept a clean sheet, so I couldn’t leave him out. Daniel kept his place and that’s the nature of the beast for goalkeepers, which is unfortunate for Thomas.
“However, it will be a fresh start for them both next season.”
First goal issues need addressed
Elgin round off a disappointing League 2 campaign away to Stranraer on Saturday, with the sixth-placed hosts two places and seven points better off than City.
A 4-1 win home loss against improving relegation play-off side Cowdenbeath last weekend was a sore one for Price.
The manager feels the players have to learn next season how to better deal with falling a goal behind after what was a goalless first half.
He added: “It is important, particularly after Saturday, that we do all we can to end the season on a high note, because you don’t want it to end like it was against Cowdenbeath.
“It was a flat second half performance. We have to guard against that.
“It’s important because we still have a chance to finish one place above where we are now. We have to make sure that happens.
“I thought we played well in the first half. We made a mistake for their first goal, but we were still relatively in control of the game.
“We reacted horrendously to losing a goal and that has been a problem this season. When we have conceded the first goal, we have not shown the composure to get back into games.
“That is something we have to look at in detail next season. You are not always going to get things your own way. You have to respond to losing the first goal, which is something we have not done well with.”
Striker Kane Hester, meanwhile, has been included in the PFA Scotland’s League 2 team of the season after scoring 17 times.
