'Huge boost' as Forres Mechanics top scorer Ben Barron pens new contract
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FORRES Mechanics have been handed a “huge boost” as top scorer Ben Barron has put pen to paper on a new contract.
The 17-year-old originally joined the Cans on loan from Inverness Caley Thistle towards the tail end of last season, before signing a permanent deal when he was released by the Championship side.
After hitting eight goals already this campaign, and with other clubs sniffing around, Nairn-based Barron has committed his immediate future to Mechanics.
“It’s a huge boost that we can keep these boys,” manager Steven MacDonald said.
“It shows others that we are trying to attract that this is the way we are wanting to go, that we want to keep these top players.
“Ben has eight goals already and he wants to score a lot more than that. Hopefully he can keep that form going.
"He feels comfortable in the environment he’s in, enjoys playing with the players he is playing with and has been getting a lot of minutes which is great for him as well.
“He’s level-headed, knows what he wants, and playing is important to him.
“For us, we want to improve while we have these boys too. This season is about top half but we want to push on from there.”
On the pitch, Forres were beaten 4-1 by title-chasing Brora Rangers at Dudgeon Park on Saturday – but the scoreline wasn’t necessarily a reflection of the match, manager MacDonald said.
Ali Sutherland and Mark Nicholson had the hosts two up at half-time, before Craig Mackenzie halved the deficit on 73 minutes.
Mackenzie was then dismissed for a second booking in the build up to Brora's third, scored by Ross Gunn, before ex-Can Andy Macrae finished the scoring.
"We competed well in the first half and they possibly only had three shots at goal and scored two," he said.
"The goal on half-time was a killer but the game plan was to make it hard and stay in the game and we were right in it. Second half we pushed up and gave it more of a go, came into it, could have scored before we did.
"Craig did really well to intercept a ball on the edge of the box and thumped it home from outside the box and we were right back into it for a couple of minutes.
"But we lost the third goal too quickly and were resigned to keeping it respectable after Craig's red card.
"We kept going right to the end. Although it sounds bad at 4-1, it didn't feel like a hammering.
"I've seen limp displays at Brora when teams are not contributing but it wasn't that. Brora's staff were impressed with some of the boys so that was encouraging to hear.
"In a year's time these experiences will benefit the team. We're hoping they'll progress and learn."
The fixtures don't get any easier for the Cans going forward – with Buckie Thistle away and then Fraserburgh at home.
"We will have the same difficulties as we did going to Brora – it's another top team with a lot of quality.
"But if we put in a similar display then we can compete."
