Elgin City are set to repair their damaged floodlights in time for two back-to-back League Two games at Borough Briggs.
The impact of Storm Isha this week led to a pylon situated behind the home dugout at Borough Briggs being uprooted.
With Saturday’s home league game against Dumbarton in mind, the SPFL agreed to move the match forward to 2pm.
However, with the visit of Clyde this Tuesday, the Moray club had to look beyond this weekend.
Following an assessment by an engineer, it was agreed that cranes would move in on Friday to remove the damaged lighting tower.
However, further talks with electricians, contractors and a blacksmith mean the floodlight can be secured in place, which should mean it’s green for go for both games.
⚫️⚪️ NEXT MATCH ⚫️⚪️
‼️ 2PM KO due to Storm Isha damage ‼️
🆚 Dumbarton
🏟️ Borough Briggs
🏆 Cinch League Two
📅 Saturday 27th January
⏰ 2pm
🎟️ Cash Gates Only pic.twitter.com/5YUmXsc7VZ— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) January 24, 2024
There were concerns that should even temporary lighting not be an option then the club would have to find an alternative venue.
Elgin are currently ninth in League Two, five points ahead of Clyde, so are aiming to bank league points at home, where they have earned 17 of their 18 points.
Elgin City chief grateful for local support in fixing floodlights
City chairwoman Isla Benzie explained that, backed by willing businesses and helpers, they should get the lights secured in time for both fixtures.
She said: “We have some positive news as things have moved on a little.
“We made the approach to the SPFL to move our Saturday kick-off time to 2pm because, at that point, we still didn’t know what was going to happen on Friday.
“We knew we had two cranes coming in to remove the floodlight, move it into the car park next door and try to repair it as well as look at the foundations.
“Since then, we’ve had a visit from a structural engineer and a blacksmith. They have come up with the solution that on Friday we can, with the crane, tip the floodlight.
“They have made a new plate which will go underneath the floodlight and within the foundation to hold it in place.
“Hopefully it can be tipped on to this new plate and we’ve already had the electricians check the electrics and that all looks okay, so it’s fully working and we should be fine for Tuesday night’s game as well.
“We’d already, of course, made the decision to move the kick-off time on Saturday, so we will stick with that. Hopefully by late morning on Friday, it will all be in place.
“We have been really lucky with how quickly we’ve been supported by everyone who pretty much dropped everything to come down and help us straight away, including lots of volunteers.
“As a club, we are so grateful to everyone who helped us. Hopefully, we’ll be back on track for Saturday.”
Benzie and board help Hale do deals
It has been a busy transfer window for Elgin and manager Allan Hale, who took over the hot-seat in December.
This week alone has seen Ross County winger Ryan MacLeman, 19, join the club on a permanent deal after playing 23 times on loan for the Black and Whites this season.
Cove Rangers midfielder Mark Gallagher, 22, has signed a loan switch until May, while they have also secured 17-year-old Caley Jags midfielder Keith Bray on a loan agreement for the remainder of the season.
Highly-rated midfielder Fin Allen, 19, has penned a new two-year deal and will gain game-time at Hale’s former club Huntly over the next few months.
Hale also raided Highland League side Huntly to bring in attacker Michael Dangana on an 18-month contract.
Goalkeeper Olly Kelly, defenders Connall Ewan and Owen Cairns, captain Matthew Cooper and midfielders Brian Cameron and Rory McEwan have all extended their deals with the Moray club this month.
Benzie praised the work of Hale is is happy with how the activity has panned out so far this month.
She said: “We’ve had a busy window so far. Allan has been really proactive, which is great.
“He came in and seen the gaps which we needed to fill and he’s used some of his local Highland League knowledge, which is a real strength for us. A lot of these guys are north-based, which is really good.
“Also, players we’ve put out on loan (to Highland League clubs) will benefit from that experience with a view to them coming back and being part of our squad next season.”
