Paton looks to older heads to help his starlets on

BULLISH Brechin boss Michael Paton insists he’s on the look-out for some invaluable experience to help his young guys win their fight for survival.

Paton is preparing to welcome high- f lying Elgin City to Glebe Park, where they’ll be aiming to get 2021 off to a flier in their quest to beat the dreaded drop. The Angus outfit are languishing at the foot of the league and were sent spinning out of the Scottish Cup by Linlithgow Rose last week.

Now Paton, at the helm since November, is targeting some older heads during the January transfer window in a bid to hoist them up the table.

He said: “It’s something we’re looking at closely.

“We’ve got some great young players here like Rory Currie and Kieran Inglis who are used to playing development football. They’ve been thrown in at the deep end because I believe in them but they’re still learning on their feet, which can be tough.

“Sometimes they can take too many touches on the ball and they end up getting clattered by an experienced professional who has been round the block a few times. It’s not a criticism. It’s just the way things are at this level, so if I can bring in some experience it would benefit everyone.

“It’s a tough market in January but we’ ll see what’s out there and try to add to the squad.” Paton is backing his players to

bounce back from their cup exit and reckons the visit of second-top Elgin can bring out the best in his basement battlers.

He added: “That’s in the past now. There’s nothing more to be said about it.

“We’ve got to move on and they need to show the level of belief I have in them. Elgin are definitely up there on merit. They play fast down the flanks, which we’re well aware of.

“But if we can take the positives from our home draw with Annan we’ll give ourselves every chance.

“One win would make a massive difference and give us something to build on.”