David Robertson may not be finished looking for more recruits to continue his overhaul of the Peterhead squad.
Robertson brought in two more players this week, taking his tally to 12 and the overall number for the season at Peterhead to a staggering 35.
Jack MacIver arrived on loan from Formartine United while John Allan, who played amateur football for Scalloway FC in Shetland, has signed on a deal until 2024.
There may still be room for more, with Robertson planning to use next weekend’s free Saturday to run the rule over trialists.
Robertson sees MacIver as being able to bring technical quality to his side, while Allan will reinforce his forward options when he comes in next week.
“We’re hoping Jack can bring a bit of creativity and link up between the midfield and strikers,” said Robertson.
“Maybe previously, our midfield was maybe a bit lacking – Andy McCarthy is good on the ball but we probably need someone else with similar attributes. We’re hoping Jack is the guy.
“We played a bounce game during the week and he showed up well in that. We hope it shows up well when he’s in the team.
“John was in the area a couple of weeks ago and we got him into train. There was interest from Highland League teams and he’s moving into the area, so we got him in for a couple of sessions.
“We liked what we saw and he’ll join us next week. We’ve signed him on a longer-term contract because he’s going to be in the area permanently.
“The important thing for us is having players who want to test themselves at a higher level. Jack wants to test himself again and we want guys with that hunger to step up.”
MacIver was at Aberdeen and had a loan side with Highland League side Huntly last season. He was let go by the Dons in the summer and joined Formartine on a free transfer.
Allan was the 2022 Shetland player of the year and the top goalscorer in the amateur leagues. He also represented Shetland at the Island Games in 2017.
“We’re pleased with the squad we’ve got,” added Robertson. “We’ve moved some players on and we’re pleased with the freshness we’ve got.
“The more they play together, the better they’ll get. We just need to turn that into results and picking up points.”
A lot of the new arrivals have not played much football of late, which has its pros and cons.
It may give a clear idea of who could be available but if they come in, they are likely to be lacking match-fitness.
“The January window is always difficult,” added Robertson. “You’ve got players that maybe clubs don’t want, or players that haven’t played for four or five months.
“Sometimes you’ve got to go with your gut feeling and just have a go. You can’t overthink these things.
“It’s seven weeks we’ve been in now and it’s almost a totally different squad. The attitude is different too; you can have the best players in the world but if the attitude isn’t right, you’re not going to get anywhere.”
