MS United Ready To Battle Against Amateur Elite
Report by Andy McLaren
MS United striker Stevie Gordon believes his side’s summer boot camp will help the clubs new signings shine in this season’s Premier Division.
The strike ace netted 40 times in his debut season earlier this year to become his side’s leading goalscorer.
8 new recruits including Stevie joined the Aberdeen outfit last year and a further three have signed for the club following their recent promotion to Amateur football’s top flight.
Stoneywood’s Alan Menzies, East End’s James Kirkwood and Rattrays’ Davie Baillie have all been signed.
And Stevie, 24, who joined from Don Athletic, is confident he will beat last season’s goalscoring record when he faces some of the best defences in the league.
He said “Anything over 30 goals would be great for me but I know I’m capable of scoring more than last season.
“There is no reason why we can’t establish ourselves as a Premier League team.
“The club’s pre-season routine is going to be the toughest I have experienced as it involves running against sand dunes at the beach and participating in a variety of other fitness and ball routines.
“This is by far the strongest team I have played in and I really want to make the club proud when the season starts in August.”
United, who formed in 1976, will make their first appearance in Amateur football’s top flight since their relegation in 2008.
The Aberdeen side had their most successful season earlier this year after winning their first league title since 2003.
United’s hotshot signed for the Division One champions after turning down the chance to play for Kincorth and Junior side Sunnybank.
And Stevie admits accepting the offer to join MS United was the easiest decision he has made in Amateur football.
“I knew there was only going to be one decision when I met everybody involved at the club,” said Stevie.
“The set-up at MS United is probably the best I have seen at this level.
“You have guys involved with cleaning the kits while others plan training routines before the matches which shows the professionalism of the club.
“There are no passengers in the team and everybody battles for each other which is why I’m confident we will have our best ever season.”
MS United boss Alan Stables is aiming to win the Premier Division as a player and a manger, having lifted the trophy with Hilton in 2000.
And the 36-year-old, who is in his fourth season as manager, is determined to see the sunny days continue when he takes charge in Amateur football’s top flight for the first time.
He said: “I’m confident we have enough quality to challenge the best teams in Amateur football so I’m expecting the lads to finish in the top half of the table.
“There has been an increase in the amount of new teams who have won silverware recently and we are now part of that group who are regularly defeating the older teams in the leagues.
“I wasn’t surprised with the level of success we achieved last year and we did extremely well after losing around eleven players.
“This is definitely the strongest team we have had at MS United because we have signed quality rather than quantity.
“Amateur football is the strongest it has been for a long time due to an increase in players from the Junior and Highland League ranks choosing to sign for clubs within the city.
“Echt were relegated from the league last season while Kincorth only just survived the drop which has made us realise that winning matches in the Premier Division will be extremely challenging.”
