The Lone Rangers

Sitting closer to Glasgow then any other English town, Berwicks unique position on the border has seen the Wee Rangers play in the Scottish football League for more then a century.

Rightfully proud of their status as the only English team to be playing in another countries Football League, Berwick fly both nations flags at their stadium, Sheilfield Park and sport both the English and Scottish Lions on the club crest, however their split identity is soon to change.


Currently with just one English player in the entire squad, in the shape of central defender Jonathon Fairbairn, the club currently has a very strong sense of being all together rather too Scottish for my liking.

Arriving at the club with them starting at the foot of the Scottish Footballing ladder, I intend to the take the loneliest club in England to the very top, making them the most succesful Rangers in the country and hopefully bringing some long awaited silverware to a club who have had little to celebrate in over one hundred years of lacklustre football.

Mutual terminating the contracts of five Scottish staff members on my first day at the club hardly saw me make a impressive first impression upon the Berwick fans but before long I soon had them distracted as I welcomed my new staff to Northumberland.





Bringing in an entire new backroom there are two familiar faces within the ranks, as two former England players both make the move up North to take up roles within my staff. Owen Hargreaves becomes my new assistant manager following his injury plagued career, whilst Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher looks to bring on newly recruited English stars up to speed as my only first team coach.

Good luck with Berwick Rangers Good addition to your backroom staff

With the squad being a Semi-Professional outfit at the foot of the Scottish Football League and with scouting restricted to just within the Scottish borders its fair to say for the start of this career I'm not really going to be making any big moves within the world of football however I was hopeful that we might be able to still free some space for new arrivals. Not quite.

The only player I was able to ship out wasn't even one under my own control as former Player/Manager Colin Cameron decides to end his brief stay at the helm of the Borderers as I abruptly bring an end to his career following my arrival at the club.


Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

First arrival of my English revolution is former Celtic youth player, Travis Gregory. Having never made a first team appearance for Celtic it appears Gregorys career has already hit a rather large stumbling block but having impressed in the Scottish trailists game, we were quick to bring the Nineteen year old into the squad.



Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

From the same academy that created Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott, Jack Boyle hasn't quite reached the same heights as his former team-mates. Having turned to Scotland for an attempt at salvaging his career, Boyle hasn't exactly been able to hit the ground running but an open spot on the wing at Berwick gives the Twenty Four year old the opportunity he has been craving.



Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

A late bloomer into the world of professional football, Twenty Five year old Sean Bonnett-Johnson arrives to us following his release from Dundee. Having apparently made his big break straight into the top flight of Scottish football, the winger failed to make a single appearance before once again returning to normality following the end of his contract and was keen to keep at least a faint glimmer of his dream alive joining our part time outfit for the coming season.



Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

Starting off in Birmingham, Adarabioyo has worked his short career into Scotland landing a role within the St. Johnstones first team last season, however like Bonnett-Johnson he too failed to make a single appearance in the Premier League before being released. With some solid physical stats and a good deal of developing still to do, its hoped Fisayo might eventually make it back to the top of Scottish football in a Berwick shirt.



Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

Another one released from the books at St. Johnstone, we managed to snap up a player who could potentially go straight into the starting line up in the middle of the field. Dwayne Coultress is here to make the plays. With a good eye for a pass and the ability to create something out of nothing, we're hopeful he could keep our already impressive front line fed with chances throughout the season.



Cost: 16,500
From: St. Johnstone

It seems that whilst I might be trying to create an English dynasty at Berwick Rangers, St Johnstone are attempting to ship out anyone from down south. The third arrival from the ranks, takes up my entire transfer budget and becomes one of the key players at the club at just Nineteen years old. Alex Kitchen is a strong defender already with all the right technical abilities and the physical traits to become a solid centre back at the level and well beyond.



Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

Released by our league rivals Arborath, Twenty Four year old David Banjo is already made for a first team spot and should make a solid ball winning midfielder at this level. He'll be hungry to make his mark on the league following his release and hopefully we can give him the opportunity to prove himself at the level and beyond.

Good luck again DJ! This was a good challenge last year!

Having taken over the club mid-way through the pre-season I only have two games to not just evaluate the entire team but somehow get this English reveloution underway. No time like the present.



We start my transformation with a game against one of the most Scottish clubs possible. Lowly St Andrews United. A red card for Travis Gregory in his first appearance in a Berwick shirt coupled with a disappointing draw hardly filled me with confidence for the rest of this career.



We end a very short pre-season with a game against feeder club Ashington. Like ourselves they too find themselves cast a drfit from the majority of English football but remain steadfast in the English League system. All be it at the bottom of it. A one goal victory at least showed it was worth joining our adopted league.

The season starts here, a reformed club structure a new emphasis on reclaiming some English pride and a long run of games ahead of us. Here we go.

Well that wasn't exactly the plan. Ayr might only be in the league above us but they looked a world apart from anything we could pull together on the pitch. The short pre-season and limited signings are already starting to fill me with regret.


Six goals shipped in, nothing in reply and a swift exit from the two early cup competitions. Hardly the start of a ruthless campaign. Scottish Championship side, Livingston enjoyed a relaxed start to their season romping to a worrying comfortable victory.


Thankfully our poor form didn't carry over into the league as we start our push to the Premier League with a scrappy victory against one of the seasons favourites Arbroath, with even new signing Alex Kitchen scoring the first English goal to get the season truly under way.


Two back to back victories keep our form rolling but a heavy reliance upon our Scottish strikers shows a glaring issue with my overall aim. I have no first team English striker. Non the less a win is a win and with this we top the table already.


And its three on the bounce. We might have dropped straight out of the cup competitions but we're certainly heading about redeeming ourselves in the league, this time its South African right back Devon Jacobs who somehow manages to squeeze home a scrappy goal.


Well it had to end sometime. A three game winning streak comes to an abrupt end courtesy of an end to end game with Clyde but an unbeaten one is still well underway. Left winger, Jack Boyle also picks up his first goal of his Berwick career making it Two goals in Four games for our English new boys.

A goal in his league debut and some impressive performances in the middle of our defence means an early award for The Borderers, as Alex Kitchen justifies his status as our record signing with hopefully the first recognition of a long and fruitful career with us.


Not a bad way to introduce myself to the Northumberland faithful as our unbeaten start to the season sees me pick up an award with just four league games under my belt. Truth be told I have no idea what the tactic does but It sure seems to be working somehow.


With our unbeaten start to the season and some well earned awards in the bag, we top the table in the early running and after just four games we stand as the only unbeaten team in the league. Encouraging early signs but there's a long way to go yet.

An international break at the start of the month even managed to postpone games in the depths of League Two but with a chance to bring the squad all up to fitness we welcomed the rest.


We got things under way with a goalless draw with Annan. It might not have been a thrilling result but to be honest not conceding a goal when we let in nearly two goals every game last month at least suggest the defence might be up to the task in this league.


Or maybe not. Two goals shipped in following Kitchens opener made life difficult for us but our ever reliable striker, Darren Lavery dragged us to all three points as we dominated the second half in style. Not a neat victory but a quick return to winning ways maintains our early push for the top spot.


Another draw and a fortunate one at that. We might have maintained our unbeaten streak but its not exactly been convincing with Lavery once again coming to the rescue with a goal in injury time. Our Scottish players are keeping the English transformation alive right now.

With the draws mounting up, we slip off the top spot after just one month, with Annan and Arbroath both keen to take advantage, non the less we remain unbeaten and despite a seemingly weak defence, we're well on course to make an impact this season all be it mainly thanks to Darren Lavery.

The Scottish Cup gave us a final shot at some potential money from a cup run and we narrowly edged our way past Spartans and into the third round of the competition, once again it was Darren Lavery that saved our blushes. We even got just over one hundred pounds for our efforts. Profit.


We continue to mount up the single points with another draw against Montrose but a second goal for English winger, Jack Boyle made up for another lost opportunity. We need to get more clinical if we're going to clinch the automatic spot.


Thats one way to make sure of the points as we run out five goal winners over a sloppy Elgin City, with Andy Russell picking up a clinical hat-trick following a mixed afternoon for our first team English players with a red card for the usually reliable Alex Kitchen and a third goal for the rapid Jack Boyle.


Albion Rovers give us an unwelcome wake up call as they put four past us in a display that again put the spotlight firmly on some weak defending. A complete collapse with just fifteen minutes left on the clock saw us ship in three quick fire goals and a firm ending to our unbeaten streak.


Despite finally losing a game, we cling on to our third spot in the table but miss an opportunity with Albion Rovers snatching the second spot in table, following a total collapse from Arbroath this month. It will be interesting to see if we can avoid the same fate following the first hiccup in our league campaign.

We start the month the same way we started the season with an exit from the cup competitions. Non league Brora surprised us at Shielfield Park as we threw away a two goal lead, gifting the minnows with free passage into the next round. Not the response I was hoping for.


Back to the league and back to our unbeaten ways. A shaky victory over East Stirlingshire gave us the perfect opportunity to put our mistakes behind us and it started an incredible run of form for two of our key Scottish players, Darren Lavery and Lee Currie.


The duo combined as a thrilling game against East Fife saw us eventually share the spoils, courtesy of us throwing away a victory within just five minutes of the end of the game. Another missed opportunity and more signs that our defence might not be up to the task even at this level.


We hit back from the disappointment of another draw with a four goal victory over fellow high flyers Annan. Lavery and Currie again played a major role as our Scots scored all four goals. Not exactly the most impressive month for a team whose future is supposedly going to be built from English talent.


We round off the month with another draw and guess who got the goals. Incredible form. The duo are literally carrying the team of late, with our captain and set-piece maestro Currie running the show and the unflappable Lavery proving to be the most reliable finisher in the league, shame our defence can't match their performances.


Unsurprisingly one of our Scottish duo managed to scoop a monthly award, with our free-kick specialist and midfield general, Lee Currie taking the plaudits following an impressive month in the middle of the field. Our future might be dependant on English talent but the here and now is most certainly based around our Scottish stalwarts.


Thanks to there strong efforts we climb another place up the table and sit just behind current leaders Arbroath. With just three points separating us, if we keep up this form we'll soon be elbowing them out of the only automatic spot in the division.

Great run yourr on mate, will be tough to break Arbroath but confident you'll do it!

We're quickly into the festive season and get it under way in fine fashion with a four goal victory over Clyde as we continue to put pressure on top of the table Arborath, with even our English players seemingly hot on the chase as Boyle and Fairbairn hit the back of the net.


Like a footballing Scrooge, Elgin City soon put a downer on our festive celebrations as they comfortable beat us, with only a Dean Horribine last minute goal giving us something to bring back to Shielfield Park. Only our second defeat of the season, its not the end of the world but its disappointing non the less.


Our winter blues didn't hang around for too long though as a top of table clash against Arbroath gave us a quick return to winning ways and also the top of the table as our two ever reliable players both find the back of the net in an efficient game that certainly showed we deserved to be at the top of the pack.


An efficient first half display helped us to another victory, with Fairbairn managing to pick up a second goal of the month. Not bad for a centreback. A red card in the second half all but assured us of the points however Queens Park gave us a run for our money with a late goal, to end the year in uncomfortable fashion.

We end the year on top of the table...all be it by goal difference alone. With just half of the season remaining we're leading the race and in prime position to make it into League One but with Arbroath and Albion Rovers hot on our tails we've still got plenty of work to do.

Darren Lavery might be Scottish but he is fully behind the new style Berwick as he single handedly sees us past East Sirlingshire, bagging two first half goals as we pick up three points having gone a goal behind early in the game. The New Year certainly welcomed us nicely.


Our Scottish sharpshooter again found the back of the net in a convincing display against Clyde however it was a ruthless display from our English talent that took the spotlight with our three reliable players, Fairbairn, Boyle and Kitchen all finding the back of the net in what might be the most impressive display of the English revolution thus far.


Boyle continues to impress and picked up a well taken brace that helped solidify our place at the top of the table. The left winger never got a look in with Airdrie but is definitely proving to be a solid player at this level and hopefully well beyond.


With the English players taking the limelight, Darren Lavery soon returned things back to normality as he continued to solely drag us kicking and screaming into League One, salvaging a point against fellow promotion contenders, Annan. He's been nothing but ruthless all season.


A resounding victory over Elgin City ensured our nearly faultless start to the season as the rarely used Craig Dargo, picked up a brace in his only start of the season thus far. With every man now seemingly pulling their weight the remainder of this season certainly holds alot of promise.

In sensational form of late, our Scottish striker Darren Lavery has been absolutley dominant, leading the goal scoring charts in the entire league, claiming points on his own and making our English contingent look very average.


Keen to make sure our English players aren't totally eclipsed by their team-mates up north, record signing Alex Kitchen scooped the Young player of the month award, holding together our defence at the back and even heading home a rare goal against Clyde.


A perfect month is rounded off with a clean sweep of the awards, our tactic is certainly getting the most out of the players available and we'll soon be hopefully picking more awards up in League One.


Our unbeaten form has us top the table with a five point cushion and well on the way to an instant promotion and a shot at life in League One. This Scottish football lark is easier then it looks.

Superb to see you edging clear

Brilliant January results

The new year might have welcome us with open arms but February gave us a quick wake up call as we ended our unbeaten run on a particularly disappointing Valentines day. Arborath arrived at Shielfield Park and broke many Borderers hearts with a convincing three goal victory that saw our newly built lead over the chasing pack quickly crumble away.


A victory over East Fife seemed to suggest we might be able to fight against a sudden flood of goals into the back of our net. All be it courtesy of an own goal and another fine showing from Fairbairn but we're definitely looking shaky. Has the weight of being set for promotion actually broken us or is this just a blip on the way to the top.


I think we might be broken. Our defence completely collapsed against Queen's Park conceeding three goals against a team who are barely keeping their heads above water in a relegation dog-fight. With three teams all ready and willing to take our automatic spot results like this are certainly going to cost us.


Not even the best efforts of Darren Lavery could stop us from making it a disastrous month as we throw away a two goal lead and gift our promotion chasing rivals, Albion Rovers with three points. We need to stop this rot and fast. The defence simply isn't coping right now.

Despite only winning one game this month, Laverys performances still manage to shine through as our ever impressive Scottish sharpshooter finds the net four times and atleast gives us some positives from an altogether disappointing month.


With just three points in the bag, our lead completely disappears as Arbroath quickly leapfrog us and build a lead themselves in efficient style with them now looking odds on favourites for the automatic spot.

March got under way much the way February ended as we again slumped to a disappointing defeat. Elgin City took a clinical two goal lead that we struggled to close and even with Andy Russell's goal we couldn't save a point, with us only picking up a red card in the dieing minutes of the game.


Annan were next to take advantage of our current slump in form. Once again Andy Russell tried his best to drag us into the points but his opener was quickly cancelled out as we gifted points to the chasing pack and left ourselves almost being forced to settle for the fact that we were set for the lottery of the play-offs.


All is not lost quite yet and an awe inspiring team-meeting left ears ringing and morale restored with Montrose the first to taste the wrath of the resurgent Borderers. Andy Russell finally found himself scoring on the winning team and Jack Boyle rounded off a comfortable victory that gives us a thin shot at reclaiming our top spot.


Just when we need him, Darren Lavery makes a welcome return to the scoresheet picking up another hat-trick to help us restore some pride with a five goal victory over Queen's Park. Two victories on the trot and two clean sheets to go with it. We're back to our best and just in time with only five games of the season remaining.


Despite the late return to some form we actually further the distance between us and leaders Arbroath to five points, with the top of the table side confirming a spot in the playoffs already as we poor everything into avoiding the same fate come then end of the season.

Wow that form turned quickly however hopefully ending march with two wins and two clean sheets on the bounce will motivate your side to push on in the final few games and give Arbroath a right headahce!

With the end of last month returning us to winning ways and leaving us with a slim chance of being able to make it back to the top spot, April became crucial in our efforts to secure a place in League One.


Thankfully even with the pressure of knowing that any mistake would almost certainly bring an end to our chances of automatic promotion, we got things underway against playoff contenders Albion Rovers. Our two in-form strikers, Lavery and Russell both combined to secure us the victory and maintain our hopes of overthrowing Arbroath.


Lee Currie made a return to the fray picking up a brace with two well taken set pieces but it was Adarabioyo who will remember this day most fondly, the young fringe striker has barely featured since this arrival in the summer but made an impressive impact to help us claim a scrappy victory over Clyde.


With four victories now in a row, we certainly look like the real deal and added further support to that claim as we picked up yet another win for the streak, with a late goal from Scottish winger Ross Gray picking up all three points. It was another rather unconvincing victory but non the less we're keeping the pressure ramped up on Arbroath.


The perfect month is finished off by a rather more convincing victory over East Fife. Two of our season outstanding performers Jack Boyle and Darren Lavery combined to ensure we took maximum points from the last six games and it certainly proved to be quite the game changer.


What a turn around.

Arbroath couldn't cope with the Borderers breathing down their necks and won just two games this month, not just throwing away their lead but the top spot itself, with us reclaiming our top spot with just one game remaining and in true dramatic style we're up against Arbroath in a winner takes all game to round off an impressive season for both clubs.

Yours to lose man! Going to be tight!

So it comes down to this, Thirty Five games survived and just one remains as a top of the table clash between The Borderers and Arbroath looks set to gift the winner with a spot in League One. Its time for us to cap a remarkable debut season at the helm of The Wee Rangers.



Both teams knew it was all on the line and the game certainly played out like they where prepared to throw it all into trying to steal the spoils, with both teams trading blows right from the first whistle. Fittingly it was two of our English players who finished the job for us with midfielder David Banjo opening the scoring and young Adarabioyo scoring the most important goal of his career, the one that secured the all important point to ensure we would be in League One next season.



One point proves to be the only difference between the two sides after Thirty Six games of football at the basement of Scottish Football. Its a dream start for my career with Berwick and despite some brief moments of concern its been a season to remember for Berwick and one that signals the first point of success for the English revolution.

So the first season is done and dusted. We flew through the games and showed our true potential in emphatic style with some absolutely dominant football in the Scottish League Two and our efforts were to be duly rewarded.




Captain, midfield general, free kick specialist, Lee Currie has run the show this season. He might be Scottish but he has certainly helped to pull this English revolution into League One, feeding his fellow Scot, Darren Lavery with plenty of cutting through balls, that helped our free scoring striker to Twenty Six goals this season.

With the team-sheet rapidly changing around them the two stalwarts have ensured they'll keep their starting place for many seasons to come.



As for the league it made very pleasant viewing for the Berwick faithful for too long the team has floated between the bottom tiers unable to make an impact upon the league standings without an impressive slice of good fortune but this season The Borderer's truly deserved their title and a true crack at finally breaking out of the bottom two divisions.

Superb to win the first promotion! Lets get on the rise now!

The clearance of Scottish players continues as nine of them are shown the door from Shielfield Park. Its not exactly the wholesale clear out it seems though, with only four of the above actually having featured in the first team last season. With just one of our released players managing to find himself a squad its a fair indication of just how poor these players actually are. They wont be missed.

Ironically the biggest departure of the window was that of English midfielder Dwayne Coultress as a lack of first team football sees him jump at an opportunity with Montrose. With Lee Currie determined to hold on to his spot in the starting line up despite his former team-mates being picked off one by one, the unfortunate Coultress was left to watch angrily from the sidelines.



Cost: Free
From: Annan

We make quick advantage of our promotion picking up a player from one of the teams we left behind last season, as Josh Todd arrives from Annan. Here to replace the departed Dwayne Coultress, he is here to do the leg work in the midfield. He wont take the plaudits and his performances will by no means be pretty but Todd is more then capable of making his presence felt in the middle of the field.



Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

Luke Leahy joins us to strengthen the left side of our midfield. Jack Boyle had a relatively good season but with the opportunity to snap up a player with experience of life in the Championship it was an opportunity that could not be missed. With some nippy speed and the ability to find the back of the net on the odd occassion its hoped Leahy can keep up the good work Boyle has started.



Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

We've been needing a reliable stopper for quite some time, with our two Scottish keepers falling well short of the grade and the recently released James Atkinson certainly fits the bill. Having only played fives times in his short time with Championship side Queen of the South, Atkinson is hungry for some game time and with a weak defence in a new league he is certainly going to be making up for lost time this season.



Cost: Free
From: Out of Contract

Another arrival to bolster the midfield. Steven Logan joins us as another work horse to harass our opponents, with his speed and fitness the Twenty One year old is certain to become an annoying site for many in League One but with stiff competition now in our central positions he is going to have to work even harder just to ensure his name makes it onto the starting list.



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Having started my time at Berwick with just one English player in the entire team, the squad has undergone a massive upheaval, with eleven players now heralding from the clubs home nation. The transfer market has seen the arrival of Four new faces to the team, with the recently arrive Luke Leahy and defensive stalwart Alex Kitchen proving to the best of the bunch.

With half the team still needing to be replaced with suitable English players the job is still far from completion but the first season of our English invasion has gone almost perfectly.

So transfers done for now, squad returned from holidays and a new League to prepare for. Time to get the pre-season under way.



First game to get us up to speed has us going up against our newly acquired parent club, Hibernian. I had no say in choosing them and truth be told wasn't even aware it had happened but I'm not going to begrudge some extra money as part of the deal, however a distinct lack of English players in their entire team doesn't exactly help our cause. A well earned two goal draw against a Premiership side though was an encouraging way to get things started.


From the parent club to our feeder club, fellow Northumbrians, Ashington. The non league side have absolutely no players worth my interest but a four goal victory at least gave us a moral boosting victory to the start of the season, with Lee Currie again showing his prowess from a dead ball situation and Alex Kitchen showing that he hasn't taken his foot off the gas over the summer.


Another game against Premiership opponents had us go up against Aberdeen and we again held out for another well earned draw. Darren Lavery made sure he kept his status as first choice striker under wraps with a well taken goal, with our new signings yet to make a big impression upon the team. With just one game remaining time is running out to grab a starting spot.


Final game of the pre-season has us go toe to toe with another Northern team in the shape of Conference side, Gateshead. The Geordies gave us a good run out and probably showed a true reflection of what level the club is currently at with both teams sharing the spoils courtesy of a second half goal from young Adarabioyo. He might have just got himself a place alongside Lavery with that goal.


Not exactly the most impressive preseason, the new signings appear to be struggling to blend and adjust to our formation but with no time left to adjust its time to face the music and hope for the best.

A season in League One, awaits us. Its certain to be a busy one for the Borderers with our new arrivals and flimsy defence sure to be tested in a League where we can expect to face some fallen Scottish giants.

Its not going to be easy.

We kick start our season as usual with the cup competitions but in a change from procedure last season we actually made it past the first round. Ayr welcomed us for the game and quickly gifted us with an early lead which we soon built on, creating a four goal lead with the ever reliable Lavery and new signing Leahy both making an impressive start to the season.


Another cup competition and another unexpected victory. Dumbarton are recently relegated and will be one of the toughest teams to face in our league but we certainly gave them a rude awakening after the summer break smashing home three goals to seal our place in the second round. So far this season is looking like its going to be a good one for the Borderers.


And it just keeps getting better. Our first taste of life in League One and we make easy work of Stranraer. Andy Russell leads the goalscoring with Captain Lee Currie and the longest serving Englishman in the team, Jon Fairbairn joining him on the score sheet as we cruise to the top of the table. Begginers luck or are we truly ready made for the step up.


Our brief run in the Challenge Cup is brought to an end as Championship side Raith leave it late but eventually dump us out of the competition following Laverys third goal of the competition. Success wasn't really on the cards here and to be honest the money to be made from the Scottish Cup competitions appears to be laughable.


Back to the league and again we perform above expectations. Dunfermline are one of the favourites this season and quickly lay down a marker with the opening goal but an encouraging never say die attitude is blossoming within the club and we held on to Darren Laverys leveller to hold on to what could prove to be a valuable point.


Our good fortune comes to an end in the league as Brechin score in the dieing minutes of the game to snatch all three points and give the crowd at Shielfield Park a wake up call. A red card for Fairbairn didn't help matters but it was safe to say we never truly looked like winning the game. Fortunately the games are coming thick and fast no time to linger on defeats.


Well that bubble well and truly burst. The Scottish Premier League entered the competition with a bang and quickly set about taking us apart with ease. The defence struggled to match up with the speed Kilmarnock had at their disposal and we were fortunate to only escape with a five goal drubbing. Plenty of work left to do.


Ten goals in two games. I think our honeymoon period is over. Dumbarton might have been easy pray in the cup competitions but they definitely weren't in the mood for playing around in the League. Tullochs opportunity at a first team spot following Fairbairns red card resulted in an own goal for the unfortunate Scot and Archie Campbell soon rubbed salt into his wound with a clinical hat-trick.


An incredibly busy start to the season for The Wee Rangers but we come out of it in a respectable mid table position. With a taste of victory already its fair to say, I have renewed faith in our chances of survival this season but there is a long way to go yet before we can relax.

A disappointing result for The Lone Rangers, as we throw away a two goal lead in the first half with Forfar netting four goals in the second half to take all the points and leave us sliding further down the table. The only positive was some strong play on the wings from our two English players, Bonnett-Johnson and new boy Luke Leahy.


Well now this is starting to get worrying. Airdrie aren't even one of the biggest teams in this division but they certainly proved to be more then a match for us at Shielfield Park, scoring an early goal and holding onto the lead for the remainder of the game with ease. We need to be more ruthless if we're going to cut it in this league.


That is more like it. Andy Russell has long been an understudy to Darren Lavery but has started to shine in League One. Our plucky Scot picks up a solid brace to help us on our way to a comfortbale victory over Peterhead with Lavery and Leahy joining him on the scoresheet as they continue to impress at the front of the club.


We've slipped from the edge of the playoffs in the race for promotion and straight into a potential dog fight at the bottom already. We're proving to be rather inconsistent thus far this season but as long as we're picking up some points we at least leave ourselves with a chance of survival. Backs to the wall time.

Ayr are really struggling this season and its certainly helping us a great deal as we pick up a very welcome three points on the road. Our ever reliable captain continues to impress as his brace helps guide us to victory. He is certainly not going to give up his place in the team to an English invader any time soon.


Our inconsistency again comes back with a vengeance as we slip to a poor defeat against Stirling. They controlled the game from beginning to end and we never looked like we could potentially take a point from the game. Our usually reliable midfield appeared to be burnt out, unable to match up to the neat passing of Stirling.


More cup action and a highly competitive fixture against fellow League One side, Dumbarton. Both teams threw everything into the game as they looked to make a quick route into the next round but eventually cancelled each other out in a frantic first half, which left us with an unwelcome replay to deal with next month.


We're slowly crawling away from the drop zone as the League begins to take shape. Its safe to say we are going to be part of the dog battle to come with our rivals already nervously eyeing each other up at the bottom of the table. We're only a quarter of the way into the season but we can already tell which direction its heading in.

We get the month under way as we look to settle our tie against Dumbarton in the League cup. Having been pushed all the way in the previous tie, we were again hoping for a quick resolution but once again we went all the way against Dumbarton. Andy Russell managed to force the tie to penalties to level things up in extra time and duly tucked away the winning spot-kick to bring an end to this needlessly exhausting fixture.


Back to the league and our tired team are again put through the running in a tight fixture against Dunfermline. We took a two goal lead within just Twenty minutes but did not have the legs to see out the fixture as we slowly watched the points slide out our grasp, with Dunfermline eagerly taking advantage in aid of their promotion race.


Having beaten them by five goals in our first game of the season, we were confident of picking up the points against Stranraer but it was not to be as they resiliently held out for the points despite the best efforts of our strike force. Non the less a clean sheet is welcome having failed to keep one all season. Hopefully the start of some rejuvenated defending.


We knocked them out of the cup competitions and they certainly didn't seem too happy about it. Any hopes that our defence were going to build on their recent clean sheet soon disappeared as we watched Dumbarton easily dismantle them in front of a dismayed crowd at Shielfield Park. Life in the league is proving to be very harsh.


Things are getting worrying again. We knew things were about to ramp up following a slow spell in September and October but we have really struggled to match the pace, consistently dropping points. With things in the League being extremely tight we cant afford to have months like this. Perhaps its time for another morale boosting team-meeting?


We round off the month with an exit from our final cup competition of the season. Queen of the South are going well in the Championship and despite leaving it late they certainly looked like the real deal. The step up between the leagues certainly feels like a big one given our brief taste of football against some of the Championship sides.


A disastrous month, a tired squad and just one point gained all month. Unsurprisingly we end it in the relegation play-off spots. Its still all to play for though. Despite our poor form, Ayr and Forfar have been unable to build a gap and lowly Peterhead look all but set for a torrid time at the foot of the table.