Players will not listen to any “outside noise” as they attempt to achieve targets this season.
Stranraer will be underdogs against Ross County on Saturday and, if bookmakers are to be believed, will be outsiders in many games in League Two.
Chris Aitken’s new look squad will be looking to prove a few people wrong over the course of the next 10 months or so.
One of the new signings is Ronan Hughes and he was looking forward to competitive football getting under way again.
He said: “It can be a motivation but we know ourselves that we set individual targets inside the group.
“We will aim for them and any outside noise does not matter to us.
“We know we are capable of hitting those targets and I am pretty sure we will be fine and have a good season.”
Hughes worked alongside the manager at St Cadocs and was already enjoying linking up with him again.
He said: “I knew that from working with him that I was going to come and enjoy it.
“Enjoyment is a big part of it.
“When you are out working the last thing you want to be doing is going out and not enjoying training.
“It is a big part of part-time football to know you are going to be enjoying it.”
The 26-year-old might have joined from the West of Scotland Football League but he has experience of playing at a higher level.
The midfielder played more than 30 games for Hamilton Academical in the Premiership, as well as spending time in League Two over two loan spells with Stirling Albion.
It was during his time in Lanarkshire that he was making headlines after being linked with clubs including Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
He joked that if things had been different he could have been playing at the Club World Cup.
He said: “Hamilton were good at the time and I had good people around me that kept my feet on the ground; not to get carried away at a young age.
“It is everybody’s dream to play for teams like that but it never came to much.
“I had the right people around me.”
Last meeting
Almost year to the day, Stranraer and Ross County faced off against each other on the opening day of the new season.
The opening goal of the game came when a ball over the top sent Jordan White clear. The veteran striker kept his cool and lifted his shot over the onrushing Harry Broun.
White doubled his tally for the season when he nodded home a cross from the right before the half time interval.
To Stranraer’s credit, they remained in the game and halved the deficit in the second half. Deryn Lang raced onto Tom Orr’s ball over the top and then lobbed it over Jack Hamilton from outside the box.
Any hopes of taking something from the game were killed off though when Eamonn Brophy got the slightest of touches on James Brown’s cross.
Stranraer: Broun, C Ross, McKnight (McQueen 72), McIntosh, Brindley, Gallagher, Russell (Lang 72), Dunlop (Hawkshaw 59), McKnight (Lang 72), Grant (Ecrepont 71), Edgar (Orr 59).
Not used: Hughes, Adam and Pazikas.
Ross County: Hamilton, Brown, Leak, Wright (Efete 59), Lamie, Reid (Harmon 71), Allardice (Telfer 59), Loturi (Samuel 80), MacLeod (Williamson 71), White, Brophy.
Not used: L Ross, Smith, Ewan and Laidlaw.
Last five meetings
- Stranraer 1 Ross County 3 (Lang; White x2 and Brophy) at Stair Park on July 13, 2024
- Stranraer 1 Ross County 5 (Robertson; Own goal, Murray x3 and Baldwin) at Stair Park on July 15, 2023
- Stranraer 1 Ross County 2 (Winter; De Leeuw and Boyce) at Stair Park on August 26, 2014
- Stranraer 3 Ross County 2 (Winter, Aitken (Pen) and Grehan; Brittain (Pen) and Mustafi) at Stair Park on August 27, 2013
- Ross County 4 Stranraer 2 (Cowie x2, Higgins and Gunn; Burns and Moore) at Victoria Park on August 8, 2006
Last five games
Stranraer
- LOSS v Bonnyrigg Rose (H): 0-1
- LOSS v Elgin City (A): 3-0
- WIN v Edinburgh City (H): 2-0 (Guthrie and Lang)
- LOSS v Stirling Albion (A): 3-1 (Dunlop)
- LOSS v Spartans (A): 2-1 (Guthrie)
Ross County
- LOSS v Livingston (H): 2-4 (Nisbet and Hale)
- DRAW v Livingston (A): 1-1 (Hale (Pen))
- DRAW v Motherwell (H): 1-1 (Hale)
- DRAW v Dundee (A): 1-1 (Hale (Pen))
- LOSS v St Johnstone (A): 2-1 (Samuel)
Last time out
Stranraer
Lineup v Bonnyrigg Rose: Lane, Robertson (Brindley 75), Ross, McKnight (Ellis 83), Ecrepont, Dunlop (Wilde 82), Russell, Quigg, Reid, Guthrie (Hilferty 83), Edgar (Mitchell 60).
Not used: Kane.
Ross County
Lineup v Livingston: Amissah, Wright, Randall, Harmon (Ashworth 54), Campbell, Efete (Samuel 67), Nightingale (Phillips 81), Nisbet, Kenneh, Hale, White.
Not used: Tomkinson, Smith, Williamson, Robesten, Coyle and Ross.
Ins and outs
Stranraer
Ins: Beejay Coll (St Cadoc’s), James Dolan (Unattached), Evan Dunne (Beith Juniors), Ewan Henderson (Whitletts Victoria), Ronan Hughes (St Cadoc’s), Lewis Hunter (The Spartans), Daniel McManus (St Cadoc’s), Lewis Reid (Queen’s Park, loan made permanent), Scot Rough (Beith Juniors), Tommy Sharp (Livingston), Jordan Stuart (Beith Juniors) and Sallu Turray (Partick Thistle).
Outs: Tomas Brindley (Cumnock Juniors), Adam Cummins (Irvine Meadow), Grant Gallagher (Cumnock Juniors), Matty Grant (Johnstone Burgh), Dean Hawkshaw (Hurlford United), Craig Ross (Airdrieonians), Max Guthrie (Ayr United, end of loan), Sam Kane (Queen’s Park, end of loan), Josh Lane (Hamilton Academical, end of loan) and Scott Robertson (retired).
Ross County
Ins: Dean Cornelius (Harrogate Town), Ben Crompton (Sunderland), Ross Docherty (Dundee United), Adam Emslie (Aberdeen), Brad Foster (Wrexham), Declan Gallagher (Dundee United), Arran Lyall (Greenock Morton), Gary Mackay-Steven (Kilmarnock) and Len O’Sullivan (Glenavon).
Outs: Jordan Amissah (Burton Albion), Joshua Nisbet (Roda JC), Zac Ashworth (Blackpool, end of loan), Eli Campbell (Everton, end of loan), Jack Grieves (Watford, end of loan), Nohan Kenneh (Hibernian, end of loan), Kacper Lopata (Barnsley, end of loan), Will Nightingale (Wimbledon, end of loan), Jonathan Tomkinson (Norwich City, end of loan), Scott Allardice, James Brown, Michee Efete, George Harmon, Rickie Lamie, Ryan Leak, Alex Samuel and Charlie Telfer.
Five facts
1. Both managers know what it is like to score in fixtures involving Stranraer and Ross County. Chris Aitken found the net the last time Stranraer defeated the Staggies (3-2 in 2013) and Don Cowie was on the scoresheet when Ross County won the last meeting in the Highlands (4-2 in 2006).
2. Goals have never been in short supply in meetings between the two sides. In 15 meetings, only one has finished goalless and both teams have found the net on 12 of the occasions.
3. Summer signing Declan Gallagher is no stranger to Stair Park having made his senior debut for the Blues 15 years ago. That came against another team from the Highlands, with Elgin City the visitors in October 2010. Stranraer won 2-1 that day with Armand One cancelling out a Jason Crooks penalty before Scott Agnew found the net with eight minutes left. The home side that day was: David Mitchell, Sharp, Murphy, D Gallagher, G Gallagher, Agnew, Danny Mitchell, McColm (Noble 71), One (G Mitchell 86), Malcolm (Moore 79), Winter. Not used: McAuliffe and Marshall.
4. Former Stranraer goalkeeper Michael McGovern will be celebrating his 41st birthday on Saturday. He featured for Stranraer in the first half of 2005 and four years later would go on to play for Ross County, making more than 80 appearances for the club.
5. Stranraer have not won their opening game of a season since 2021/22 when they defeated Greenock Morton 3-0 in a match that never kicked off due to the Coronavirus pandemic. They did win a penalty shootout 12 months earlier after a 1-1 draw with Annan Athletic. Ruari Paton scored for Stranraer.
Admission
Admission in the Eco Gen Stadium at Stair Park is ‘pay at the gate’ only. Season tickets are not valid for Saturday’s game.
Away fans can enter the ground from the away turnstile opposite the main stand. This turnstile is cash only.
The following pricing applies:
- Adult – £15
- Concession (over 65) – £10
- Youth (5 to 16) – £5
- Under 5 – FREE
The fantastic Envy Cheerleading will have a bucket collection pre-match going towards a big upcoming tour, before taking to the field for a half-time performance, so please give generously if you can.
Merchandise
Stranraer FC merchandise is available from hut outside the main McLeans Taxis Stand.
Cash and card payments are accepted and we open from 1.30pm.
You can also purchase a range of merchandise online.
Pavilion Bar
Pop into the Pavilion Bar outside the away turnstile from 1pm for a pre-match refreshment with fellow fans.
Home, away and neutral supporters are warmly welcomed, and the bar accepts both cash and card.
Or, stop off at the Stranraer FC Fitba’ Bar on North Strand Street in the town centre, which is also open to all.
Coverage
If you’re further afield, follow our live matchday updates on X (formerly Twitter).
The manager’s post-match reaction will be available on YouTube following the game.
Club 1870 subscribers get a first look at the goals from 10pm on Saturday night, along with full match footage.
Extended highlights will be available via YouTube on Sunday, with Brian Martin joined by Cameron Ritchie on commentary.
Photos: Bill McCandlish
