2011/12 Season Preview
The new season kicks off on Saturday with the League Cup on the agenda. This tournament usually gives an indication on how teams will do in the early part of the season and usually throws up the odd surprise. All of the teams have been busy recruiting in the close season and the after their pre-season preparations the opening Saturday is always eagerly awaited. With an increase of an extra 7 games in the league for this season there will be more scope for upsets and it will allow the odd slip up which certainly wasn't an option when there were only 14 games. Judging by the signings so far this will be a very tight season with the teams who finished close to the bottom being far more competetive.
Last year's champions Lochar Thistle have a relatively small squad in comparison to most of the team in the league but have strengthened well in the close season. Most of the squad from last season have re-signed and new recruits Craig Muir (from Dynamo Star) and Paul Neil (from Abbey Vale) will both add some quality in the wide midfield positions. The move to the Barony certainly paid off and the big park suits their playing style. Complacency may be their biggest enemy and as champions they are there to be shot at. That said they have a very strong squad who have delivered recently and will be odds on favourites to repeat their title win again this season.
Runners up for the past two seasons, Lochmaben will be hoping to go one better this term. The club's cup record in recent seasons is second to none winning 9 cups in the last 3 seasons. The move to 21 league games this season may help as on occasion over the past few seasons they have a weakened team due to work committments and if this falls on a week when they play one of the better sides then they can come sometimes unstuck. Still the team to beat in the cup competitions. They have signed a couple of young players to bolster their squad and should be well positioned to put in a strong challenge.
Upper Annandale went without a trophy a trophy for the first time in more than 5 seasons last term despite having what on paper was a strong line up. Part of the problem was the involvement of many of their players in both Saturday and Sunday football for the first time for a long time. On the upside that problem has disappeared for now and the club have signed most of their squad from last year. They have have lost one or two key players to South football but they have one or two exiting young players who may come to the fore with the opportunity to play that that gives them. They have strengthened with several new signings and they will expect to be up at the top especially if they can rediscover their home form which deserteded them a bit last season.
This season Morton Thistle will return to Thornhill after two seasons in Dumfries and that should be a catalyst for a general improvement in their overall form. They did well in the league last year but failed miserably on the cup front barely winning a single tie. They have strengthened this year signing more players from the Thornhill area and should have a real strength in depth. Morton always play a nice passing game and on their day can push every team all the way. They will hope to consolidate last year's 4th position but it will be hard with the extra games this term. A big improvement in the cup competitions will be high on the agenda.
Dynamo Star struggled to field their strongest team on many occasions last season and as a result their league form dipped. They did well in the Queen of the South Cup and just failed to reach the final. Other than that it was a pretty ordinary season by their standards. They have signed a few youngsters in the close season and so may have to spend a season getting them up to speed. That said, many of their squad have been together for years and as a result they can put a run of games together. Cup success is their best hope this season.
Maxwelltown Thistle have had a pretty poor time of it lately and will be hoping to get back to the form they showed 3 or 4 years ago. Initially a run of bad injuries hampered them but poor form also contributed to their low league position. They are not a bad cup side and ran Lochar close in two of the semifinals last term losing by the odd goal on both occasions. A cup final appearance and a decent showing in the South cup were the highlights. They have been busy in the close season and have signed several new players who will certainly strengthen their challenge. Many of their better players work shifts so their form is always a bit iffy if they are all missing at once. The cup competitions will be their best chance.
The YMCA have disappointed for several years now and last season was no exception. They now have a new management team in place and have signed several players from the Upper Nithdsdale area who will add some grit to their team. They could be the surprise team of the year winning when they are not expected to. All will depend on their early season form and if they can win a few games early on they could take some big steps forward.
There has been a bit of a revolution happening at Terregles Athletic with a large turnover of players. The club failed to win a single domestic game last season which will certainly change this season. Many of their new players have plenty of previous experience but have not played much in recent seasons. Like the YM much will depend on early results, on paper they could be a mid-table team but it all depends if they stick with it if they start having a bit of a bad run.