𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨 🎄
We spoke to manager Colin Strickland to get his thoughts on the season so far as we look ahead to 2025.
𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬?
Christmas was great Gaz thanks. I'm getting old now so it’s all quiet for me these days, it’s about spending time with my kids and family.
𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧?
I think if anyone offered us 13 wins out our first 15 league games at start of season we would’ve bit their hand off. 
The consistency the players have shown in first half of season has been exceptional and they know they’ve given themselves a right good opportunity of doing something special this season. 
We’re well aware we’ve secured nothing yet and so are the players. There will be no complacency from our side. We know there will be ups and downs still to come as that’s football and nothings handed to you. It’s about us continuing doing what we’re doing as a group as that’s whats got us in the position we're in today, and if we do that I’m confident we’ll be where we need to be come end of season.
𝐖𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬. 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬?
The cup ties are great against the bigger teams, it gives the players the opportunity to test themselves against higher opposition. 
In the games against the top teams this season we’ve competed in all the games, but as you go up levels you get punished for your mistakes and the players are getting to realise that quickly. 
The home game against Hurlford was a fantastic day for the club. A big crowd, playing in the Scottish Cup and the players put in a performance to be proud of. It gives the boys another opportunity after the new year and another big cup tie to look forward to and test themselves against Troon.
𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝟐 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭?
It tells you how consistent we’ve been this season when that’s a difficult question to answer as there’s been a few. 
For me personally, I think second game of season away to Coldstream was our most complete performance. From start to finish it was a joy to watch and against a good team where we lost and dropped points last season. 
Then next answer is boring our biggest result is always the next one in the league. Every game is massive now, evey 3 points we take takes us closer to where we want to be.
𝐖𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦?
I think these games are great at this time of the year. We missed out on it last season as we were both in difference leagues so it’s great to get the derby back. We’re always confident going into any game especially at home. 
We know Bathgate are a good side, Goggs and George have done a fantastic job there and they’ll have their own promotion and title ambitions. We grinded out 3 points away earlier in season and we were probably a bit fortunate in that game if I’m being honest, so we’ll need to be at our maximum and it, to hopefully take 3 massive points.
𝐖𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞?
The squad is pretty much same as last week against Dalkeith. The squad is getting stronger by the week, we still have a few to come back but as we saw last week our bench is so important and the subs came on, made an impact in game as they have been doing all season.
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐬?
I'd just like to thank the fans on behalf of the players and management team for their support so far this season.
It’s been incredible and we do really appreciate it, we know we have one of the best supports in the region. 
I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and they turn out in their numbers for which will hopefully be Christmas Cracker between two good sides tomorrow at The Volley.
Thanka Coco, all the best for 2025.
𝐃𝐁𝐖𝐀𝐇