With the departures of long-serving figures like Michael Gardyne and Paul Watson, Montrose manager Stewart Petrie has used the summer window to refresh his squad. His side ended up getting drawn into the murky end of season relegation battle but League One’s longest serving team stayed up with four points to spare over eventual playoff losers Annan.
Key Signings to Watch
Ross Clark – Midfielder, 19
Clark, a product of Dundee’s Youth Academy, has been full time at Dens Park for the past 3 years and last season enjoyed a loan spell with Highland League outfit Formartine United.
He told the club website “My Dundee teammates Lyall Cameron and Luke Graham both loved their loans spells here, saying it was a well run club with a good setup and would be a great place to learn, develop and really kick-start my career.”
Kieran Freeman – Right-Back, 24
The 24-year-old joined Stewart Petrie’s side in January as part of a loan from Raith Rovers and featured 16 times for the Gable Endies as they successfully fought to secure their League 1 status. He’s had plenty of Premiership experience with Dundee United before a stint in Ireland with St Pat’s and his return to Scotland.
Craig Wighton – Striker, 27
Another January loanee made permanent the 27-year-old, who was capped for Scotland, all the way up to the U21s, has amassed 27 appearances for Hearts, 92 for Dundee and 119 for Dunfermline, winning both the Championship and League 1, as well as featuring in the Scottish Cup Final.
Ewan Loudon – Forward, 21
Signed from Brechin City, Loudon has featured 136 times in his four Highland League seasons and in the last two seasons has 33 goals and 31 assists next to his name, including a vital opening goal just minutes from time in a title deciding win against Buckie Thistle in 2023. It’s a big step up to League One but one manager Stewart Petrie is confident it’s one Loudon can land.
While Alloa mounted a late comeback to overturn Montrose’s lead at the end of April, thanks to late goals from Conor Sammon and Luke Rankin, it’s been hard work against the Angus side in recent seasons. That result ended a run of seven games unbeaten for Montrose against Alloa, with the Gable Endies winning three of those encounters.
Will this new-look team continue to dominate, or have Andy Graham’s men finally turned a corner against their bogey team? We’ll find out in the first of what could be a minimum of five meetings between the sides this season.
