New boss sees the potential at '˜Burgh

Alan Fortune, a former player with the East Shore Park side, returned to the club recently to replace Paul Martin.

‘Burgh rounded off their campaign at the weekend, under Martin’s assistant Kurt Herd, with a spirited 3-2 defeat at the hands of Luncarty.

And it’s that spirit, Fortune reckons, which can be cultivated to improve the club’s recent on-field record.

For the past few seasons Newburgh have been scratching around the wrong end of the McBookie.com North Division.

Fortune, who has previously coached with St Andrews United, said: “I was at the game on Saturday and the team I saw surprised me in a positive way.

“They were very spirited and had a bit of quality.

“But a lot of them are very young which is probably part of the reason why results have been poor.

“It may surprise some people but I want to keep what they have at the club and just add a bit to it.

“With a bit of experience and some work on the team’s shape, we can get the reputation of Newburgh back up to where it should be.”

Fortune’s positivity is echoed in the club’s boardroom, with the boss saying he left his interview excited for what the new season could bring.

“What convinced me about Newburgh was the passion and dedication I could see from the committee,” he said.

“I want to get a team on the park to reward them for their hard work.”

Although not anticipating a massive rebuilding job, the new manager is keen to add some fresh faces.

“There are players at Super League clubs who aren’t at that level but can certainly play for Newburgh,” he said.

“There are also amateur players who fancy a crack at junior football or youth players who we can bring in and develop.

“But they have to buy into the system we want at the club and our ethos.”