First Whistle at Forge Road
Forge Road’s pitch is alive with the sound of boots on grass and the sharp whistle of Callum Baird, Bransay Athletic’s new manager.
The 27-year-old, in his black and crimson tracksuit, stands at the centre of the stadium. After a 7th-place finish in the North Northumberland League last season, the players are eager to see what their new manager can bring.
Callum gathers the squad in a semicircle, clipboard in hand, his voice firm but enthusiastic. “Right lads, we’re starting fresh. I know what this club means to this island and we’re going to give the fans something to cheer about. We’re playing a flat 4-4-2 - narrow, high tempo, direct. We’ll focus play down the right and overlap on the left. In possession, pass into space, move quickly. We counter-press when we lose it, counter-attack when we win it. Out of possession, mid-block, high defensive line, press often, stop their keeper playing it short, get stuck in, trap them outside and invite crosses to deal with. Let’s get to work.”
He splits the squad into a starting XI and subs for a training match, focusing on the 4-4-2 formation. Chay Peel, 25, the best goalkeeper, takes his place in goal, barking orders with confidence. At right back, Moshe Haliva, 26, slots in - his family moved to Bransay from Israel decades ago for his father’s work on offshore rigs and was born here. The centre-back pairing is Dillon Woodgate, 24, a towering 6’6” defender and Giorgios Dimosthenous, 26, a 6’5” Cypriot whose parents settled on the island to run a small café in Forgeby after the steelworks closed. At left back, Tom Weaver, 23, prepares to overlap down the flank as instructed.
In midfield, Shane Patton, 24, takes the right midfield role, tasked with driving down the right flank, his pace a key weapon. The central midfield duo is tricky - only Bob Wright, 16, fits the role, a tenacious lad Callum coached in the youth academy, known for his work rate but raw technique. For now, Callum pulls Cal Fryer, 23, a defensive midfielder, into the second central midfield spot, though he’s not a natural fit.
On the left, Delano Braspenning, 16, a Dutch teenager whose parents moved to Bransay for renewable energy jobs on the North Sea wind farms, starts - Callum remembers his flair from the youth team, perfect for overlapping runs with Weaver. Up top, Marcel Byrne, 24, pairs with Joaquim Silva, 16, another youth team graduate under Callum, his sharpness in the box a promising sign.
The session begins with a possession drill, Callum shouting, “Narrow, lads! Keep it tight, pass into space!” Patton surges down the right, linking with Haliva, while Braspenning overlaps Weaver on the left, whipping in a cross that Byrne narrowly misses. The tempo is high, the players responding to Callum’s energy, though the uneven pitch causes a few stumbles - Giorgios slips, swearing in Greek, but Woodgate hauls him up with a grin.
Next, Callum sets up an out-of-possession drill, simulating a mid-block with a high defensive line. “Press hard, trap them outside!” he calls. Peel rolls the ball short to Haliva, but Wright and Fryer swarm in, forcing a misplaced pass. The counter-press works - Silva pounces, launching a counter-attack that ends with Byrne firing wide. Callum claps, encouraging, “That’s it! Press and go!” He then adjusts their shape to invite crosses, Woodgate and Giorgios heading away practice deliveries with authority, their height a clear asset.
Not everyone fits the 4-4-2. Tom Blake, 24, a right winger and Tom Bailey, 26, a left winger, struggle to adapt to the narrower system, often drifting too wide. Preston Kelly, 24 and Michael Buhari, 23, both attacking midfielders, look lost without a central attacking role, while Rui Sterry, 16, another attacking midfielder from the youth team, watches from the sidelines. Sub keepers Ryan Lyons, 16, Irish and David Gorman, 16, Northern Irish - both moved to Bransay with parents seeking work after the steelworks’ decline - take turns in goal, showing promise but lacking Peel’s experience.
As the session ends, Callum gathers the squad again, sweat on his brow but a fire in his eyes. “Good start, lads. We’ve got work to do – the defence needs to be tighter and we’ll sort the midfield balance - but I see the fight in you. We fight for every ball, every point. Let’s get ready for the season.”
The players nod, a mix of exhaustion and determination on their faces. At Forge Road, under Callum Baird’s leadership, the new Irons are starting to take shape - a team ready to battle for their island’s pride.
1
