Charlie plays the waiting game on his targets

FORRES Mechanics manager Charlie Rowley continues to play the waiting

game as signing players appears to be a delicate dance rather than a simple discussion about targets and goals.

The days of an agreement being reached at the first meeting seem to be long gone as players weigh up options from as many as six clubs.

Despite almost certainly losing out on back up goalkeeper Robbie Taylor who seems Brora-bound, the Highland League Manager of the Year was positive on his chances of adding two new faces this week as the lengthy signing process nears a close.

“Obviously I was involved in a number of moves when I was a player having gone from Rothes to Lossie, then Deveronvale, Buckie Thistle before signing for Forres Mechanics when Gordon Connelly was in charge just over ten years ago and at that time everything seemed to be a lot more straightforward than it is today.

“Generally you knew if you were keen on going to a certain club or not, and the meeting you had with the manager and maybe one or two guys from the board helped you confirm your initial feeling and everything was done and dusted, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now.

“I have been speaking to a few different targets but it takes a lot of time these days as it seems that everyone is talking to half a dozen different clubs and wants to be fair to them all, which is understandable. I am really positive about two of the targets and am expecting an answer from one of them in the early part of the week. I also expect to hear an answer from our fourth target this week as well so with any luck we will get things tied up ahead of pre-season training.”

The Can Cans will begin their preparations for the new campaign on Saturday, 7 weeks ahead of the league opener against Brora Rangers at Mosset Park. While most teams are set to resume in the next ten days, incredibly Wick Academy are already two weeks into their training having begun on the first Saturday of the month.

The draw for the AJG Parcels North of Scotland Cup takes place this Friday at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium in Inverness at 10.30am.

The Mechanics were beaten 4-3 in the final last season by Inverness Caley Thistle despite dominating the game. While they will be in that cup competition it seems that winning the league was not enough to gain entry to the Ramsdens Cup with Inverurie Loco Works and Wick Academy being put in the hat alongside the SFL sides due to being the highest placed clubs who have already gained their National Club License.

The Locos finished the season in fourth place, four ahead of Wick Academy.