Let’s Be The Best In Kincardineshire
Report by Andy McLaren
AC Mill Inn captain Mike Adam today challenged his players to become the top team in Kincardineshire by gaining promotion to the Premier Division this season.
The Stonehaven outfit have made an impressive start as they aim to achieve back-to-back promotions after being crowned Divison Two (East) champions last season.
AC Mill Inn, who signed 8 players in pre-season, currently sit at the top of Division One (East), having scored 22 goals in only 6 matches so far.
Mike’s last Division One campaign ended in heartbreak when his side were relegated after losing to Newmachar in a last day play-off.
And the AC Mill Inn skipper, who spent two seasons in the Premier Division with the Stonehaven side, believes his squad aren’t far off from matching the best teams in the Kincardine area.
He said: “The main priority for us is to get promotion this season.
“Recently we’ve competed well against teams from the Premier Division but sadly we haven’t been at full strength.
“I’m confident we can challenge the very best and become one of the leading teams from the area.
“I feel we should be winning most of our matches so it’s no excuse for us to say we have been understrength against our local rivals.
“These sides are always in the top end of the league so it’s a nice gauge for us to work against.”
There are now 8 teams from the Kincardinshire area battling it out in the Amateur leagues.
Cowie Thistle continued the recent Kincardineshire success when they finished 4th in last season’s Premier Division, having also reached the final of the AFC Trophy.
Luthermuir are currently 2nd in this year’s Premier Division after making an unbeaten start to the season under Murdoch Anderson who is in his first term as manager
The Stonehaven outfit scored 107 goals and only lost two matches on their way to winning the Division 2 (East) title last season.
Portlethen recently became the first team from the area in recent years to fold due to a lack of players.
And AC Mill Inn’s captain admits it’s getting harder to attract young talent from Kincardineshire into the Amateur ranks.
“It was a real shame to hear of Portlethen’s situation, especially when this was a group of mates who went up through the leagues together into the top tier,” said Mike, who spent 7 years at Stonehaven Juniors.
“This situation goes to show how much work, effort & cost goes into running an Amateur club nowadays.
“Kincardineshire is a very tough catchment area south of the city and has lots of great players with a variety of amateur clubs.
“It’s always going to be a challenge compiling a competitive squad.
“In addition you also have Junior football & Highland league which generally snap up talent which makes it even tougher for Amateur clubs.
“It’s important for clubs from the area to survive as it provides a social and competitive benefit to the community.
“We have a variety of derby games to look forward to this season and hopefully we can prove we are on our way to becoming one of the best sides in the area.”
