Mitch Taylor is optimistic Elgin City can silence the doubters in League Two this season.
After staging a late run to avoid the relegation play-off last season, Elgin have been tipped by some bookmakers to finish bottom of the pile this time around.
New player-manager Ross Draper has added six new faces so far, however talismanic forward Kane Hester moved on to League One side Montrose.
Despite starting with a 1-0 defeat to Stranraer last weekend, winger Taylor senses the new-look squad is starting to click and he hopes to help the Black and Whites claim their first points of the season away to Forfar Athletic on Saturday.
FULL-TIME
We fall to an opening day defeat to Stranraer.
James Dolan scores the only goal of the game.
Onto next week! ⚫️⚪️
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) August 5, 2023
Taylor said: “I’m optimistic with the group we’ve got. Not everyone sees us train.
“A lot of people have written us off this year, but I’m hoping once it gels we will be very surprising to a few people.
“The young lads that have come in are really good footballers – they are at their parent clubs for a reason.
“Once it does click, I think we will be absolutely fine. Some of our experienced players are out injured, such as Matthew Cooper and Jake Dolzanski.
“We started the league campaign with Ross Draper on the sidelines. He is of course our manager, but missing him at the back is huge.
“We will go into Saturday with a match plan and hopefully we can carry it out and get the three points.”
City aiming to bounce back from opening day disappointment
Taylor admits City were below par in their league opener at Borough Briggs last weekend, insisting the squad is focused on putting a first victory on board.
The 24-year-old missed much of pre-season with a calf injury, but played the full 90 minutes against the Blues in a left wing-back role.
Taylor, who joined from Camelon Juniors midway through last term, is excited for the campaign ahead.
He added: “I was injured in pre-season and I’m just coming back. It was good to get in and get 90 minutes in the first game.
“Everyone knows what happened last season, from where we were to where we ended up.
“That was hard. I was coming in when the club was flying, but that’s just what happens in the league. A couple of losses and it all shifts.
“It was a hard first five months personally. There was only one objective which was to win games and stay in the league.
“We are feeling optimistic. We just want to put last week’s game behind us.
“It wasn’t the start to the league campaign we all wanted, our game management was very poor and we should have been more attacking.
“That game is behind us now and everyone is looking forward to this weekend.
“In this league I don’t think we can have a few weeks to gel. Everyone can beat everyone, so we want to go into the next game and get a win to get a run going.
“Hopefully we can build up our points from there.”
Draper getting style of play across to Elgin squad
Taylor believes City’s players are increasingly becoming familiar with Draper’s demands, adding: “It’s all positive thinking from the manager, and bravery on the ball. That’s a huge part of playing at this level.
“It’s good he’s got that confidence in the full squad and myself, that I can go and play.
“He will speak to you as a manager, but he can see it from a player’s point of view as well.
“It’s a big change from what the club has been used to.
“We have lost some big players such as Kane Hester. We played a certain way towards his style, so we have managed to change and adapt.
“Different players that are coming in are bringing different qualities, and I just think we are trying to get the most out of everyone.”
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