Fort William are in the news again. Two months after recording their first league win in 2 years, the Fort are in danger of being thrown out of the Highland League. Will the troubles ever cease for the Lochaber club, and how would their demise affect the goal difference of the other clubs in the division?
Given the name of the company sponsoring the club, the trouble should have been foreseen.
This season Fort William have had to postpone three home games due to their playing surface, and with this Saturdays home game against Nairn already postponed due to the pitch, the odds of the Fort playing their next three homes games against Strathspey Thistle (the team currently propping up the league), Lossiemouth and Deveronvale are getting longer by the minute.
The club are in talks with the Highland Council in an attempt to get a ground maintenance scheme worked out. They've also had a request to play their home games at their opponents ground (not a popular move as this would have massive financial implications, given the loss of much needed match-day revenue), and a suggestion to forfeit all their home games this season turned down.
No. Until the issue with their playing surface is resolved, Fort William face the very real threat of being thrown out of the league.
For the small club, their demise would bring to an end a pretty unspectacular term in senior football. Since joining the Highland League in 1985, the club have never finished higher than 11th (in their second season when they finished higher than current First division side Ross County).
On average, they'll finish second bottom of the league and win only five games per season. Their appalling goals-against record - on average Fort William concede 92 goals per season - is a blessing for most teams in a generally tight division come the end of the long campaign, and last season, their single point was the lowest tally ever recorded in Highland League football.
In an area where football is a poor second to Shinty, the odds of Fort William ever being anything other than the whipping boys of the league where never long. They've finished bottom of the table 11 times in their short history (including the last four years) and their opponents have enjoyed some of the biggest wins in senior football against the Fort.
Last season, an American media company, perhaps relishing the challenge of taking a team of no-hopers, injecting them with an American 'can-do' mentality (as well as 7 American players) was set to invest in the club in a scheme similar to the Ebbsfleet United idea. Viewers of this experiment in reality TV would get a chance to buy into the club, make decisions on team selection and drive the club back to mid-table credibility. The plan would have brought much needed investment and interest to the club and the community, but the credit crunch soon put an end to Fort William's dreams.
This season, the club have had to do without the Americans. They started the 2009/10 season in their customary style, i.e., at the wrong end of some very large scorelines. Their season record, an 8-0 defeat away to Buckie Thistle in September looked like setting the pace for the rest of the season, but the following week, against all expectations, Fort William won their first game since 2007.
The team they beat, Turriff United are one of the new boys in the Highland League. No doubt aware of the goal-fest possibilities open to them against Fort William, Turriff quickly took the lead, but where back on level terms shortly afterwards. Then, on the 60th minute, Fort William's Richard Finnis made himself a local hero when he took advantage of the Turriff keeper who had advanced of his line to block a Jonathan Hewtitt effort to fire home from 30 yards into an empty Turriff net.
The win seemed to inspire Fort William. Although they quickly got back to their losing ways, the scorelines seems to suggest that improvement was on the cards. Narrow defeats to Wick and Clachnacuddin where offset with a 5-0 defeat at Keith, but the fact is that Fort William scored in both games before that defeat at Kynoch Park, which is something they don't do very often.
At the time of writing, Fort William are second bottom of the Highland League. There's a team below them - Strathspey Thistle - who are potentially even worse than the Lochaber outfit. And while Fort William are eight points behind the team in 15th place, they're only 1 point behind Rothes, and with 3 games in hand could even climb into 14th place.
Whether this improvement is allowed to continue depends very largely on factors outside of their control. The maintenance and drainage issues need to be resolved before Fort William FC, and the 300 children - as well as the senior and reserve sides - for whom the club provides the only football outlet in the area are allowed to keep on playing.
26.11// update: The Aberdeen Press & Journal reports that Fort William will be given council help to repair their Claggan Park pitch and could eventually play on an artificial surface.
The Underwater Center specialises in training subsea divers, and judging by the water drainage capabilities of the pitch at Claggan Park they could very well be adding Fort William's home ground to their outdoor training facilities.
That pitch has been a source of some trouble, not just to Fort William, but also the Highland League. In a letter to the club, the constituent members of the League expressed their concerns as to whether the club can comply with the Scottish Highland League Constitution and Rules, in particular the one that requires all clubs to provide a suitable and sustainable pitch for playing home matches.This season Fort William have had to postpone three home games due to their playing surface, and with this Saturdays home game against Nairn already postponed due to the pitch, the odds of the Fort playing their next three homes games against Strathspey Thistle (the team currently propping up the league), Lossiemouth and Deveronvale are getting longer by the minute.
The club are in talks with the Highland Council in an attempt to get a ground maintenance scheme worked out. They've also had a request to play their home games at their opponents ground (not a popular move as this would have massive financial implications, given the loss of much needed match-day revenue), and a suggestion to forfeit all their home games this season turned down.
No. Until the issue with their playing surface is resolved, Fort William face the very real threat of being thrown out of the league.
For the small club, their demise would bring to an end a pretty unspectacular term in senior football. Since joining the Highland League in 1985, the club have never finished higher than 11th (in their second season when they finished higher than current First division side Ross County).
On average, they'll finish second bottom of the league and win only five games per season. Their appalling goals-against record - on average Fort William concede 92 goals per season - is a blessing for most teams in a generally tight division come the end of the long campaign, and last season, their single point was the lowest tally ever recorded in Highland League football.
In an area where football is a poor second to Shinty, the odds of Fort William ever being anything other than the whipping boys of the league where never long. They've finished bottom of the table 11 times in their short history (including the last four years) and their opponents have enjoyed some of the biggest wins in senior football against the Fort.
Last season, an American media company, perhaps relishing the challenge of taking a team of no-hopers, injecting them with an American 'can-do' mentality (as well as 7 American players) was set to invest in the club in a scheme similar to the Ebbsfleet United idea. Viewers of this experiment in reality TV would get a chance to buy into the club, make decisions on team selection and drive the club back to mid-table credibility. The plan would have brought much needed investment and interest to the club and the community, but the credit crunch soon put an end to Fort William's dreams.
This season, the club have had to do without the Americans. They started the 2009/10 season in their customary style, i.e., at the wrong end of some very large scorelines. Their season record, an 8-0 defeat away to Buckie Thistle in September looked like setting the pace for the rest of the season, but the following week, against all expectations, Fort William won their first game since 2007.
The team they beat, Turriff United are one of the new boys in the Highland League. No doubt aware of the goal-fest possibilities open to them against Fort William, Turriff quickly took the lead, but where back on level terms shortly afterwards. Then, on the 60th minute, Fort William's Richard Finnis made himself a local hero when he took advantage of the Turriff keeper who had advanced of his line to block a Jonathan Hewtitt effort to fire home from 30 yards into an empty Turriff net.
The win seemed to inspire Fort William. Although they quickly got back to their losing ways, the scorelines seems to suggest that improvement was on the cards. Narrow defeats to Wick and Clachnacuddin where offset with a 5-0 defeat at Keith, but the fact is that Fort William scored in both games before that defeat at Kynoch Park, which is something they don't do very often.
At the time of writing, Fort William are second bottom of the Highland League. There's a team below them - Strathspey Thistle - who are potentially even worse than the Lochaber outfit. And while Fort William are eight points behind the team in 15th place, they're only 1 point behind Rothes, and with 3 games in hand could even climb into 14th place.
Whether this improvement is allowed to continue depends very largely on factors outside of their control. The maintenance and drainage issues need to be resolved before Fort William FC, and the 300 children - as well as the senior and reserve sides - for whom the club provides the only football outlet in the area are allowed to keep on playing.
26.11// update: The Aberdeen Press & Journal reports that Fort William will be given council help to repair their Claggan Park pitch and could eventually play on an artificial surface.
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