Huntly chairman Gordon Carter believes manager Allan Hale and assistant Stefan Laird can get the club competing for silverware again after signing new contracts.
Hale and Laird have penned extensions to remain with the Black and Golds until 2025.
Prior to their appointment last year. the Christie Park club had finished in top half of the Breedon Highland League once in 10 seasons.
Huntly’s last silverware was the North Region Challenge Cup in season 2007-08, but Carter is upbeat about the future with Hale and Laird in charge.
He said: “We want to build year-on-year and try to get back into the top half of the table to where Huntly used to be.
“There’s no doubt in my mind we’ve got two of the best young coaches in the league and I want to keep them at Huntly so we can finish the project.
“For the first time in quite a while I’m excited that we’re bringing in players who are of a level that we can play possession-based, pressing, attractive football.
“We’re not going to win every game, but we’ve had a good start to the season.
“You will get beaten now and again and when you play the likes of Fraserburgh and Formartine you know it won’t be easy.
“But the boys have taken the defeats in their stride and had a great Scottish Cup result on Saturday.
“We won the league five times in the 90s and that’s unlikely to ever be repeated, but we want to be competing in the top half and competing for silverware.”
Hale sets sights on top six
Looking to the future, manager Hale added: “We’re delighted to have that stability within the club which we feel is important in terms of where we want to go in the long term.
“We want to be a top six club in the years to come.
“Trying to compete to get to there will be difficult, but hopefully it’s something we can do in the medium term.
“We want to be competing for silverware and with the clubs at the top of the league and not taking convincing defeats against them.
“We need to start competing and going toe to toe with these sides.
“The aim is to try to break into the top eight and then look to improve year on year from there.
“Every club has got the same aspirations, but we’ve got a plan and a project in place that we’re working towards.”
Meanwhile, it is understood Huntly striker Angus Grant will require an operation to fix a knee injury sustained last month against Formartine United.
