Season 2015/16 will go down as one of the most memorable for Brechin City fans. Not that this was a Championship winning season. Neither did Brechin City compete in the drama of the end-of-season play-offs. Nor was there a memorable Cup run – quite the reverse in fact. The reality was a journey which took the Glebe Park faithful from the despair of the worst start to a season in living memory through to a quite stunning turnaround in fortunes. Newly recruited Player-Manager Darren Dods’ first season in Management culminated in a quite outstanding run of form which will leave an indelible mark upon those who were there to enjoy it. This ultimately resulted in City preserving an enviable record of once again avoiding Scotland’s fourth tier – now for a 13th successive season – a sad demotion which looked inevitable for the vast majority of the season. This was the season that Leicester City rightly grabbed the global football headlines for the unlikeliest of sporting turnarounds. The Glebe Parkers' story is really quite remarkable and would surely have merited higher profile coverage had it not taken place in Brechin – sadly still perceived by many in the sports media as an unfashionable football outpost. Here we re-live football’s other ‘City’ story – as Darren Dods, Lee Bailey and their players, absolutely against the odds, turned 2015/16 into “The Great Escape”.

JULY:

Before July had even started, to accommodate a Europa Cup-bound Aberdeen side, the newly installed Brechin City manager Darren Dods had already taken on his first challenge. That was simply to field a team! In front of over 1200 expectant fans, current and prospective City players had literally been introducing themselves to each other in the dressing room prior to kick-off, but the 8-2 scoreline on the night was rightly deemed not worthy of panic in any form. It’s easy to forget that subsequent friendlies were actually quite encouraging. An Andy Jackson hat-trick helped see off Highland League side Deveronvale 4-1, then 4 City goals in the final 20 minutes turned a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 victory against another HFL side, Formartine Utd. Further encouragement came City’s way with a 1-0 win against Premiership Dundee, courtesy of a Robert Thomson goal. Then the ‘real ball’ came out just before month end with a home tie in the Challenge Cup against far more familiar opposition in the form Peterhead, who ran out comfortable 3-0 victors.

AUGUST:

The League Cup draw was hugely unkind to Brechin City as the seeded Glebe Parkers were drawn away to the ‘unseeded’ Ayr United. An early goal from City departee Gerry McLauchlan set the home side on their way to a comfortable 2-0 victory. Attention would then turn to the opening League fixture, a home clash against a Dunfermline Athletic side prophetically tipped by many to finally get their act together and run away with the title. The visitors went in 4 goals to the good at half-time, leaving home fans wondering just how many The Pars would rattle in against a brittle Brechin City side. The final 6-1 scoreline did not flatter title favourites. An early return to Somerset Park the following week saw another home victory – albeit not in such a convincing manner as a fortnight prior. The match was notable mostly for Ayr’s Alan Trouten slotting home a penalty against his former Club and City keeper Graeme Smith receiving a red card for a non-too-subtle elbow after a foray into the home penalty area in a vain attempt to rescue a late point. Given Buzz’s shall we say ‘indiscretion’ substitute goalie, the likeable Paddy O’Neil made his only 2 starts of the season in the following games – a 2-1 home defeat to Airdrieonians and a 3-1 defeat at League Two Champions Albion Rovers. The clash at Cliftonhill would see Craig Johnston score his only City goal from the penalty spot, something City would only manage once more during the entire season. City would end August at the foot of the League One table, the only team with no points.

SEPTEMBER:

A trip to Stranraer was most notable for the (very) late inclusion of Darren Dods in the starting line-up following a pre-match call-off from Ross Perry. This would be an ominous early indication of what lay ahead as time and again injuries to central defenders would force Dods into a playing role. The 1-0 loss at Stair Park was followed by a 2-0 home defeat to county rivals Forfar Athletic. Not only did this see Dick Campbell’s Loons reach the lofty heights at top of League One, it consigned City to an opening run of 8 consecutive defeats – something not seen at The Glebe since before the 1960’s. The following weekend saw the results take an unexpectedly positive twist with a 3-2 City victory at Balmoor against a Peterhead side who would go on to have their best ever season with a 3rd place finish and a Challenge Cup Final. Two goals from Robert Thomson and an impressive first City goal for Dene Shields saw the squad return from the North East with the 3 points in an upbeat spirit that even a broken down team bus couldn’t diminish. This was followed up by a 2-0 home win over Cowdenbeath which saw the opening goal scored by Raith Rovers loanee David Bates, and an outstanding penalty save from ‘Buzz’ in the City goal to avoid what would doubtless have been a nervy climax to the game.

OCTOBER:

A seemingly resurgent City very nearly made it 3 consecutive wins, only denied by a stunning stoppage time volley at Stenhousemuir. However, the 2-2 draw saw City finally lift themselves off the League’s bottom rung for only the second time in the season. Sadly, this was immediately followed by 2 consecutive defeats in which City failed to score. City slumped back to the foot of the table after a 1-0 defeat due to a Liam Watt goal for Airdrieonians (more about him to come) with the same 1-0 scoreline in a home reverse to Albion Rovers serving to further highlight City’s lack of goal threat. In an attempt to directly address this, City welcomed Isaac Layne on loan from Alloa Athletic who had the desired impact during an impressive debut at Station Park, including an assist for Andy Jackson to score the game’s only goal to secure a vital 3 points against The Loons.

NOVEMBER:

A home clash with Ayr United gave City fans cause for optimism. In a hugely entertaining game, Isaac Layne scored his first City goal in a 1-1 draw. It was to be a frustratingly familiar false dawn as City then produced a wretched performance in the inauspicious surroundings of Central Park, going down 3-0 to Cowdenbeath. Isaac Layne scored again in the next home game, although this couldn’t prevent a 2-1 reverse to Stenhousemuir – on a day which saw City’s keeper ‘Buzz’ rather bizarrely grab the national spotlight. Having turned up at Ochilview instead of The Glebe, his error started a social media frenzy, culminating in the story going viral and featuring on Sky Sports News et al. Sadly for City fans, the month ended with a somewhat meek Scottish Cup exit in a 3-1 defeat at Airdrieonians, notable in itself for the season-ending injury suffered by defender Ross Perry – yet another dispiriting development given that his recent contribution was going a long way to seeing him establish himself as a pivotal influence in City’s starting XI. Equally disconcerting for the Glebe Park faithful (and The Treasurer) was that City had exited all 3 national Cup competitions at the first time of asking – scoring only one goal in doing so.

DECEMBER:

As winter began to bite, City travelled to league pace-setters Dunfermline Athletic on a day which saw the majority of the SPFL fixtures fall foul of the weather. In front of over 2300 fans, City went down 3-1 in an altogether more encouraging performance with Isaac Layne again scoring the goal. This would be followed by a 1-1 home draw against Peterhead – courtesy of a Layne assist for a late Robert Thomson equaliser. Isaac continued his sequence of scoring in every second City appearance by netting in the next match at home to Stranraer. This game would see the final goals scored for City by both Isaac and Dene Shields with the popular Layne recalled by parent club Alloa Athletic and the amiable ‘Deno’ making a lifestyle choice to return to Malta. The victory over Stranraer saw City overtake the Stair Park side, seeing them to drop to the bottom – a notable low for a side who would subsequently go on to reach the Play-Off Final finishing the season only a penalty shoot-out away from The Championship. A 2-1 Boxing Day defeat in what was already City’s third visit to Somerset Park was largely non-descript, seeing City once again slip back to the by-now customary bottom rung with a seemingly demoralising 15 points from 19 games, albeit only 3 points behind 8th placed Forfar Athletic. At the top end, Dunfermline Athletic would see in the New Year leading Ayr United by 6 points with Peterhead a further 8 points behind.

Part II of the 2015/16 Great Escape Season Review will follow......