Brora Rangers manager Steven Mackay is not fazed by the difficult start the Cattachs have been handed to their Highland League title defence.
Mackay’s side will open with an away game against Deveronvale on July 24, before they play Rothes in their first home game the following week.
Brora will then travel to Fraserburgh on August 7 before hosting Formartine United the following weekend.
The Cattachs have been declared the league champions in each of the last two seasons, with the Sutherland outfit losing out to Kelty Hearts in the pyramid play-offs last term.
Mackay feels his side’s early fixtures will provide a test of their resolve as they look to bounce back from that setback.
He said: “It’s a tough start, but certainly one we will relish.
“Rothes, Formartine and Fraserburgh are going to be up there as title challengers along with ourselves, Brechin, Inverurie and Buckie.
“They are probably all teams that would fancy their chances this season. You can sometimes read too much into fixtures, at the end of the day you have to play everyone twice home and away.
“It will give us an early indication of where we are. We have sometimes had seasons where we have got a relatively straightforward start to the season and we have had 15 or 18 points on the board.
“You still don’t know where you are because you have not played any of the teams that are going to be in and around us.
“I’m totally comfortable with that, and I’m actually quite excited about the challenge those fixtures will bring.”
Last year’s Highland League campaign was due to be a truncated season in which every team played each other just once, however Brora were declared champions after just three games when non-league football was halted due to Covid-19.
Mackay is relishing the prospect of playing the forthcoming season to a full finish, and he added: “It’s nice to get back to normal, training twice a week and looking forward to a game on the Saturday.
“Hopefully by the time the season starts we will have fans back in as well.
“It feels like we are getting closer to a normal season, which is something we have been craving for the best part of 15 or 16 months.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back to a full season and all the challenges that will bring.”
Brora will take part in the Premier Sports Cup prior to the start of league action, having been drawn in Group C along with Premiership sides Ross County and Dundee, along with Montrose and Forfar Athletic.
Having put in a strong showing in their section last season, Mackay is hopeful the competition can serve as good preparation for the new league campaign.
Mackay added: “I’m really looking forward to getting back to pre-season and getting involved in the Premier Sports Cup again.
“That was great for us last year, we took a lot of value out of it. It’s an excellent opportunity for us to play against some of the league clubs.
“We acquitted ourselves very well last time, and we were just unfortunate the season was curtailed after a really strong start for us.”
