Elgin City have bolstered their squad ahead of Saturday’s trip to face Forfar Athletic.
The Black and Whites have signed Huntly attacker Michael Dangana on an 18-month contract.
The 20-year-old worked with Elgin manager at Christie Park.
SIGNING NEWS ✍🏼
Elgin City are delighted to announce the signing of Michael Dangana from Huntly on a 18 month contract!
Michael is a 20 year old attacker who has previously worked with Allan Hale at Huntly.
Welcome to the club Michael ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/lsLKPkXcQz
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) January 12, 2024
Meanwhile, Elgin boss Hale is urging his ever-improving side to take their winning form to Forfar Athletic in a bid to keep climbing League Two.
With the manager gradually reshaping his player pool, the attention returns to the pitch when they travel to face the Loons on Saturday.
Hale, who took over from Barry Smith in December, made full-back Lyall Booth his first signing from his previous club Huntly last week.
He followed that with the loan signing of Cove Rangers attacker Dayshonne Golding, who made his debut last week.
Back-to-back 4-0 defeats against East Fife and Spartans when Hale first took over preceded a good display within a 2-0 loss against runaway leaders Stenhousemuir.
They go to Station Park following superb successive 2-1 home wins against Peterhead and Stranraer, which lifted them up to eighth position, one point and one position ahead of their weekend hosts, and within range of Stranraer and East Fife just above them.
So far this season, Elgin have taken four points from their two league meetings against Forfar, with their Viaplay Cup tie in July ending goalless before the Moray team won the bonus-point penalty shoot-out 4-3.
⚫️⚪️ NEXT MATCH ⚫️⚪️
🆚 Forfar Athletic
🏟️ Station Park – Forfar
🏆 Cinch League Two
📅 Saturday 13th January
⏰ 3pm
🎟️ Cash Gates Only pic.twitter.com/DMtrJ1PRiF— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) January 11, 2024
Hale relishing clash against Loons
Hale’s Huntly side took Forfar all the way to penalties in October’s Scottish Cup tie before they lost 4-1 after extra-time and he’s sure that recent match-up will serve him well for what could be another close encounter.
He said: “All three games against Forfar have been really tight and we’d fully expect that to be the case on Saturday.
“We know a lot about Forfar, having played them when we were at Huntly in the Scottish Cup this season.
“By all accounts, they had a good performance down at Stenhousemuir last week (losing 2-1), so it will be a tough game, especially on the astro pitch where the ball moves at a higher speed than it does on grass.
“But we will focus on ourselves as we look to extract a similar level of performance to our last couple of games. We have to try and maintain that consistency within a 90-minute performance.”
Elgin remain active in player hunt
In midweek, the Black and Whites confirmed long-serving duo, captain Matthew Cooper and midfielder Brian Cameron signed new contracts until the summer of 2026.
Cooper, 29, made his 300th appearance for the club last month, and 32-year-old Cameron has played 536 times for City after making his debut in April 2008.
Overall, Hale, who has also been linked with a loan move to Cove Rangers midfielder Mark Gallagher, is satisfied with how his squad is shaping up.
He said: “We’re happy with the business we’ve done so far. We’ve brought in players who we believe will make an impact.
“Dayshonne had an immediate impact last week with a really strong showing, which resulted in him getting the man-of-the-match.
Elgin City captain Matthew Cooper and midfielder Brian Cameron sign new deals at Borough Briggs
“We just need to manage Lyall a wee bit because he’s just coming back from an injury. He just needs a bedding-in period to build up that level of sharpness.
“We’re still working on plenty in the background. January is always a difficult month to do anything, but there are a lot of moving parts and we’re making sure we’ve got alternatives (throughout the squad).
“There is nothing too close right now, but we’re still looking to strengthen.”
Aberdeen striker Liam Harvey’s loan period has been terminated with the player joining Buckie Thistle on a three-and-a-half year deal after leaving the Dons.
Ross County midfielder Ryan McLeman’s loan period with Elgin has also expired.
Harvey, 18, scored three times in 25 appearances for Elgin, while McLeman netted two goals in 23 outings. Both these exits open up doors for new players to fill the void.
Confidence is on the rise at Elgin City
And Hale says the upturn in results, as well as performances, is giving everyone at the club a spring in their step this new year.
He added: “There is a really good vibe about the club from top to bottom, which is always a good recipe.
“When we came in, we said it was about trying to instil confidence and belief within the group as quickly as possible.
“The past three games have been very encouraging in many aspects. We’re still aware there is a lot of work ahead of us – there is still a lot of work to do, but we’re working with a really good group, who are putting everything into what we’re asking them.
“We’re starting to see the results of consistency of performances, which has resulted in us picking up some positive results along the way. We’re making steady steps of improvement, that’s for sure.”
Midfielder Rory MacEwan, who has signed a new deal to remain with the club until summer 2025, is struggling for the Forfar clash and will require a fitness test in order to make the squad.
