Brechin City have won promotion to the Championship after a strange campaign that appeared for much of it to be stalling. City’s season was founded almost entirely upon a terrific start to the campaign that came somewhat out of the blue. They struggled to survive in the previous campaign but powered through at the end of the season. This time around, they sought primarily to build from the back, which had been something of a weakness last season. To that end, they introduced Dougie Hill to their side, and he certainly made a difference, particularly when Euan Smith was available. Initially, Brechin started the season in a 3-5-2 formation, though a raft of injury issues, plus the unpredictability of Gareth Rodger’s form in the heart of the back four meant that there would ultimately be a change to a 4-2-3-1 when things started to go awry. Manager Darren Dods seemed, for long periods of the second half of the season, unable to arrest the slide. Instead, it was the efforts of striker Andy Jackson that kept the team afloat. After a woeful campaign the last time out, he enjoyed a far more productive season, finding the net on a regular basis and almost single handily keeping the team ticking over. Alan Trouten and Ally Love were expected to be highly influential figures this term but never really lived up to their billing, particularly in the latter stages of the season, when they both struggled with injury and loss of form. Indeed, there was not a particular aspect of their side that seemed to come together as effectively as it might, and even in the playoffs Brechin seemed to shamble their way through a little, riding off the back of other’s poor performances. As a result, a long season in the Championship is predicted. They might have scraped their way into the league off the back of a good run of playoff results, but performances will have to improve dramatically if they are to be regularly competitive a level up.
