City to emerge from shutdown stronger than ever, says Paton

Brechin City boss Michael Paton insists the sudden shutdown won’t derail their bid to stay up.

The 31-year-old is the youngest manager in the SPFL and finds himself in a basement battle, just two points behind second-bottom Albion Rovers in their quest to avoid relegation from League Two.

Paton, who took over at the helm from Mark Wilson in November, had been relishing today’s proposed fixture away to Stirling Albion until the SFA imposed a threeweek shutdown on the lower leagues earlier this week.

But the former Aberdeen midfielder has vowed the Angus outfit will come back from their enforced lay-off stronger than before.

Paton said: “It’s a bit frustrating as we were on the right track – although we fully respect the reasons for the decision.

“We were getting to know each other.

“As a new squad, things were slowly coming together which was encouraging.

“Now we’re focusing on using this time wisely.

“It means we can take a little step back to assess where we’re going, what we can strive to do better.

“There’s so much is still up in the air but we’ve got to still try and prepare as much as we can for the day when we do return.

“For example, the players understand they need to keep fit in their own time.

“As soon as we got the news earlier this week about the shutdown, we created a fitness programme.

“We also gave them a nutrition programme. This gives them a target to achieve within three weeks and a bit of knowledge about what they should be eating for their own good.”

Paton knows how vital it is for the Angus outfit to be in tip-top condition for the challenge which lies ahead.

He added: “We need to hit the ground running.

“Being physically fit when you’re in our position facing such a battle over the coming weeks is a priority.

“We’re such a young squad that it’s inevitable we’ll be inconsistent. But one thing guaranteed is that we’ll be fit and ready to go.”

City boss Michael Paton.