New Fort William FC boss Chris Baffour will bring talent to the West Highlands from far and wide – but is also plotting routes into the team for local talent this season.
The Lochaber club have returned to the North Caledonian League for the first time since the 1980s after being relegated from the Highland League after finishing bottom on just seven points.
Withdrawing from their pyramid play-off against Superleague champions Banks o’ Dee on the eve of the first leg because of issues regarding player eligibility and the poor condition of the pitch at Claggan Park cost them their place in the HFL. A subsequent appeal was rejected by the Scottish FA.
Fort had been looking for a new boss since Shadab Iftikhar moved on in May and last month they appointed former Crawley Town under-23 coach Baffour.
Fresh start embraced by the players
Upbeat Baffour, who said that an international player is on his transfer radar, knows his new employers are at a crossroads, but he is determined to make folk notice lowly Fort for the right reasons from now on.
He said: “The players get the feeling that this is a fresh start for everyone at Fort William.
“They are happy to play their part and for us to facilitate them in the squad. The boys are happy with the direction the club is going.
“If you’re going to start anywhere, it might as well be right at the bottom. I believe they have been considered the worst club in Britain, so anything will be an improvement.
“This is a good place for me to start. There has been a lot of publicity about the club and that was enticing.
“I worked with Crawley Town in the under-23 leagues and it’s an area where even the friendly games are really competitive.
“There are a lot of boys battling to get into senior teams and these are boys who are aiming to be professional players. That experience can definitely transfer to Fort William.
“The players we’re looking at are those who want to do well and go on and play professionally.
“They will mainly be around the ages of 23, so it will be no different for me. I just want to keep them going and help them reach their goals.
“We will have players arriving from abroad, such as Poland and Cyprus, as well as the south of England.
“Not everyone is confirmed as yet and we’re still waiting on international clearance, but we are still keeping local players within the squad as that is important.”
Pathway from high school to club
While the arrival of players from abroad and down south will be exciting for many, Baffour, who holds a UEFA C licence, has already kicked off work to ensure young footballers on their doorstep see the club as open to them.
He said: “I have been in touch with the academy coaches. Fort William doesn’t have an under-18 team, so we’re discussing ways to help those from the under-16s progress to the first-team.
“We won’t rush them into it and we will help them with their growth and development.”
People will be surprised by us – boss
The pyramid system which saw Fort drop down a level to the NCL offers a way back too – if they win the title.
How Fort William fares in the competitive division, especially in this transitional season, remains to be seen.
But Baffour isn’t going to heap pressure on anyone and he hopes that talent will shine through and the results will follow.
The current London-based boss, who has visited Claggan Park to meet existing players and others within the club, added: “There is no expectation on anyone to do anything.
“Of course, we want to go up (from the North Caledonian League). The plan is for us, as players and coaches, to be the best we can be.
“There are no expectations on us to deliver. We just want to ensure the performances are good this season and people will be surprised by what we can achieve.
Here is a full list of fixtures at the link below. The fixtures have only been issued for weeks up to the winter break. A further revision to the overall fixture list will be released in November. https://t.co/Ewk9LsimvP
— Fort William FC (@FortWilliamFC) July 2, 2022
“I have done a lot of work as a performance analyst, so it’s not about ‘we need to do this or that in a game’, but it is more about ensuring everyone’s performances are good and we walk off the pitch happy.”
Fort William FC get their NCL season started at home to 2020/21 league winners Golspie Sutherland on August 20, with a trip to defending champions Invergordon seven days later.
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