Peterhead manager Jim McInally believes that the club’s reputation for developing players will help complete a huge rebuilding job at Balmoor this summer.
The Blue Toon have eleven players signed for next season, including striker Russell Mclean, who is available for transfer, and their manager reckons that plenty of positive stories will sell Peterhead as a club for both permanent and loan signings.
Jim said: “It is fairly obvious we have to get players in but there is no sense in panicking and signing ten bodies just to get numbers in. It is a strange situation to be in as a good number of the players who have left us since the end of the season, and there still could be at least one more departure, have departed having seen their career move to a higher level by playing here.”
“For example, Simon Ferry has become a manager at Open Goal Broomhill after being developed as a player/ coach at Peterhead. Scott Brown is returning to full-time football at a higher level after playing here for a few years and if another deal comes off then we will see another player doing likewise.”
“Niah Payne will get a club closer to home for him in Yorkshire after showing what he can do up here. Whilst you can look at players leaving, and having to do a lot of recruitment negatively, you cannot let that negativity linger as when you take a step back you realise that we have a lot of positives to sell in terms of playing for Peterhead.”
“That means we will take our time, get players in who want to be here, as they see playing at Peterhead as a great platform for them. Robbie McGale and Conor O’Keefe both fall into that category and I am delighted they have agreed to join.”
It is not just Peterhead players who have been developed as Jim added: “Kieran Freeman, who was with us in season 2020/21 as a loan player from Dundee United, and Josh Mulligan who played the first half of last season on a similar basis from Dundee, have both been called into the Scotland under-21 squad.”
“Ryan Duncan missed games for us last season after joining from Aberdeen on a temporary basis as he was away with Scotland’s under-19’s. We gave these players game time at crucial times in their career and they used those opportunities to develop into international and first team players.”
“That is another three very good examples of showing what being at Peterhead can do.”
