Bobby Breen says Bonar Bridge’s transformed recent form shows the squad has bought into his new regime.
Breen – who was born in Dundee, but has predominantly been based in South Africa in recent years – took over as manager at the start of the team.
Bonar Bridge have struggled in recent seasons, finishing rock bottom of the North Caledonian League last term with only one victory to their name.
After falling to a 4-0 loss to Fort William in their opening fixture, the Sutherland outfit have gone on to win their last three matches against Inverness Athletic, St Duthus and Alness United.
It is a run of form which has moved them up to third in the table, and into the semi-finals of the Football Times Cup.
Breen is thrilled with the way the players have reacted to his arrival, with Bonar Bridge in action at home to Orkney on Saturday.
He said: “My son Robbie took the first coaching session because my plane was delayed.
“It went down really well and I was so happy that it turned out like that.
“Robbie hopefully set the tone for the rest of the season. All the players loved it and, from the first minute, the players have bought into what we want to do.
“They have all got to work hard.
“They were the whipping boys. It was an easy team for us to try and take over because they won one game last season. They have finished bottom of the league for the last four seasons.
“The first thing you’ve got to do is sort the defence out and stop losing. That’s hopefully what we have done.
“Going forward from there is a bonus if we can win as many games as we can.”
Restoring confidence was key
Breen says addressing a severe shortage of morale was his key priority during the summer, following the struggles of last season.
He added: “We needed to get confidence back in the team, as it was very low.
“In the first league game against Fort William, our squad was very thin.
“I told the committee afterwards that I have never had so many compliments after losing 4-0. We took pleasure from the first half.
“In the next three games, we got results, which was fantastic.”
Elsewhere this weekend, Fort William, who have appointed Rob Coull as their new chairman, will aim to make it three league wins on the spin themselves when they make the trip to St Duthus.
Fort William FC can confirm that local businessman Robert Coull will be taking over as Chairman of the Board with immediate effect.
Robert has been on the board since the AGM and takes over from John Trew who has held the role for the last three years.
— Fort William FC (@FortWilliamFC) September 6, 2023
Halkirk United are also looking to maintain a 100% start when they host champions Loch Ness.
Invergordon host Inverness Athletic, while Clachnacuddin reserves are at home to Alness United.
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