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Four depart the Glebe Park scene
FOUR Brechin City players have left Glebe Park, allowing Jim Duffy a bit of leeway as the transfer deadline comes to a close.
Having already handed Davie White a "free", midfielder Ian Nimmo was sold to neighbours Arbroath for a nominal fee, while David Murie and Ian Harty have also been allow to move on.
For the City manager, the wages freed up by the departure of White, Nimmo, Murie and Harty allows more flexibility in remaining deals this season.
Nimmo failed to feature with any regularity during Duffy's time in charge and Jim Weir was very keen to recruit the young former Ipswich town midfield player in an effort to try and keep the bottom-of-the-table Red Lichties in the second division.
Nimmo, who was recruited by Michael O'Neill, had a blistering start to his time at Glebe Park. However, he has featured far less since Duffy took over and the majority of his eight appearances this season have come from the bench.
Vice-chairman Martin Smith said: "The manager had a bit left in his budget and this gives him a wee bit more to play with in terms of attracting players.
"It's as daft as ever in some quarters however. I know he did speak to one striker who has just been released by an SPL club to see if he was contemplating turning part-time, only to be quoted a figure of 750 per week in wages alone!
"The manager knows what he is after and, whether he moves for a player up until the transfer deadline at the end of March for a loan deal, there is at least slightly more flexibility in terms of what he has to operate with."
David Murie suffered an injury which curtailed his appearances both this season and last, and the last appearance the former Stenhousemuir and Berwick Rangers defender made was in the nil-nil draw at The Rock against Dumbarton.
David has just changed jobs, having gained employment as a prison officer, which has further impinged on his availability for football. He said his farewells at Glebe Park after Saturday's draw with Stenhousemuir.
David told "The Brechiner": "I have loved every minute of my relatively short time with Brechin City.
"They are a really great club who go out of their way to look after their players and I will miss my involvement here, because I genuinely feel Brechiners have a great club which they should really be proud of.
"It's unfortunate that my new job won't allow me to play senior football any more. I have been in the game a few years since I started with Hearts and also had spells with Berwick Rangers and Stenhousemuir.
"However, I have never been as made as welcome anywhere in Scotland as I have here at Brechin and I am truly grateful for that. I wish the manager and everyone connected with the club, especially the fans, all the best in their quest for promotion."
Ian Harty had his wish for a free granted by manager Jim Duffy on Monday.
Harty has failed to break into the city side, where the consistency of Rory McAllister and Charlie King has meant his opportunities to start games have been few and far between.
The experienced striker's only goal in City colours came away back in August when he netted from the penalty spot in the four-nil CIS Cup win over Elgin City.
However, the player who has served Clyde, Stirling Albion, Albion Rovers and Hamilton Accies looks likely to remain in the senior game.
Having had a loan spell at Station Park, Harty looks all set to return there to play for former City boss Dick Campbell.
While transfer deadline day came and went without any new additions to the Brechin squad, Duffy said the club's transfer activity was far from being over.
"Nothing could be further from the truth. We still have the opportunity to bring in players on emergency loans and sometimes players are all the more anxious to move after the deadline, because they know it's their last chance to get themselves a club and its also an opportunity for some of them to move before there is the usual mass exodus at the end of a season.
"I still would like one or two players. However, we will take our time and see how we go.
"While our numbers are down having released four players, we do have a lot of versatility in our squad. We also have a lot of competition for places from the goalkeeper to the strikers.
"We are not in need of major surgery, an addition here and there is more what we are after.
"I feel we continue to create numerous chances and had we taken a greater number on Saturday, we would have run out comfortable winners. This Saturday's game will be a completely different type of fixture.
"For me we are playing an Alloa side as good as any in the division and they will come to Brechin looking for three points.
"They also have strengthened considerably in the last couple of weeks. We have to make up for the points we dropped on Saturday and, if we can get a result, we are right back in it.
"I think Saturday's game will also be a better spectacle for the supporters. We won at Brechin two-one and they won two-one at Alloa in the previous two fixtures and there is very little between the sides.
"They are a good football side and, on our day, so are we, so hopefully the entertainment value will be greater than it was in the Stenhousemuir game."
Meanwhile the club have passed their thanks on to the people who helped get Saturday's fixture against Stenhousemuir played.
Vice-chairman Martin Smith said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to all those people who worked tirelessly to ensure last Saturday's game against Stenhousemuir took place.
"Having suffered burst pipes in our boardroom we have to thank the plumbers at Lammonds, Ken Reid's joiners and the small team of volunteers who turned up on Wednesday and Friday nights to put the pitch covers down at 7am on Saturday morning to remove them."
The club is offering supporters the opportunity of buying a season ticket and save themselves some money for the last nine home games of the season.
Martin continued: "Two of these games will be in midweek on dates to be announced. Adults can purchase a season ticket at 75, OAPs for 30 and there is also a parent and child ticket for 80.
"All tickets can be bought at the players and officials gate at the Trinity Road end on Saturday when Alloa Athletic make their second trip of the season to Glebe Park."
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Weather for Brechin
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
