Life after Stevie Reid has been a daunting challenge for the Vikings so far.

The former Thurso gaffer resigned from his post in October last year, leaving his side with a place in a cup final to look forward to, and under new boss Michael Bremner they struck gold, winning the Football Times Cup after a penalty shoot-out at Harmsworth Park.

It was a dream start for the new man in charge, but a season of setbacks in the Macleod and MacCallum North Caledonian League saw his side finish in 7th place, twelve points behind sixth placed Orkney.

Mr Bremner said: "Last season was a funny one for me personally, coming in half-way through the season. We started off well with the trophy win, but after that we went on a bad run. We picked up towards the end of the season, went on a good run and finished off pretty good.

"This season we are looking for a bit more consistency, hopefully get a good run at the start and carry on from there.

"We want to finish higher than we did last season and get a good run in the cups."

The manager is confident that his summer additions can help shape better results for his side, despite losing some of his squad to the higher tiers.

Bremner added: "We have brought in a few new players which we hope will strengthen the squad. Not many have left us. Cameron Montgomery and Luke Manson have stepped up to Wick Academy, and we're delighted for them. I've always seen the North Caley as a stepping stone for Highland League and we are pleased to see them get the chance.

"We have a few ex-Highland League players coming to join us, and also others from the amateur leagues. So, I'm quite delighted at how things are shaping up, we are looking pretty strong at the moment.

"Look ahead to our opening game, our games against Nairn have been fairly close. They are good young team who did well in a lot of games last year. We will hope to hit the ground running and get off the mark with a win. Overall, we just hope it's a better season in the league."