Brechin City boss Andy Kirk says his side’s friendly defeat to Aberdeen gave his young players a flavour of what they can expect if they have aspirations of top-flight football.
The Angus side were on the end of a 7-1 defeat when they welcomed the Dons to Glebe Park on Wednesday night.
New boy Grady McGrath bagged the goal for City, his third of preseason.
Brechin have brought in a number of young players from the local area looking to kick start their careers in the Highland League while aiming to return the club to the SPFL.
Kirk believes the game was a valuable lesson for his players but fans shouldn’t be concerned by the scoreline.
‘Lots of positives’ from Aberdeen game
“There were a lot of positives to take from the Aberdeen game,” he told the Press & Journal.
“We can forget about the result in a way, because we are not competing with Aberdeen in no way, shape or form.
“It was a different type of workout for us.
“I said to the players after the game that they will be physically and mentally tired as their levels constantly needed to be high against top players.
“We are not going to face a team like that in our division.
“It’s easy to feel down when you concede a number of goals, but that is not what we are going to face this season.
“It was important for me to see that the team kept trying to go on and do things right.
“It was good to face Aberdeen, especially for the younger players in our team.
“If they have any aspirations about moving up levels and trying to better their careers, it gives them a wee taste of what the top level in Scotland is all about.
“We did try to play football and got through a couple of times, so I was pleased with those elements.
“I can’t fault any of my players for the work-rate and effort they gave me.”
Brechin’s preseason continues this weekend when they face junior side Brechin Victoria at Glebe Park, with a 1.30pm kick off.
Conversation