Nairn County hat-trick hero Ben Barron insists attack is gelling at Station Park despite Highland League draw with Strathspey Thistle
Nairn County’s hat-trick hero Ben Barron feels things are starting to click into place for the Station Park outfit’s forward line, despite being held 3-3 by Strathspey Thistle last weekend.
A back-and-forth contest saw the Jags take a lead into half time thanks to Paul Brindle, only for Barron to score twice to turn the game on its head.
Strathspey would rally, regaining the advantage through Liam Shewan and Filip Franczak, only for Barron to complete his hat-trick and level the scores once again in the 81st minute.
Albeit not the result Nairn would have been looking for, it did bring their points tally to seven out of nine in a seven-day spell that saw them score nine goals.
Barron, while disappointed not to make it a perfect points return, does feel that signs are there to show that Nairn are improving as the season goes on.
“At home against a team below us in the league, no matter who it is, we’re expecting to get three points – especially with the run we were on last week,” he reasoned.
“We were hoping to get nine points from the three games in seven days. We’ll take seven points, but in general we are always looking for three points in games like that.
“I was delighted with my hat-trick, but you can never be completely happy if you don’t win.
“Personally, I feel super sharp at the moment. The front three we’re playing with definitely took a wee while to click, because we had never played together before, but we’ve seen over the last few weeks that we’re all getting joy.
“Hopefully that can continue into the season and we can keep getting better and better.
“It was difficult at first. I was used to scoring goals every week but I had a bit of a slow start to the season, so it was frustrating.
“Now that we’re into it now though, I’m delighted that I’m getting goals and the team is getting a bit of success. It’s a win-win for myself and the team.”
That frustrating start was reflected in Nairn’s early-season results, but a recent run of five league games without defeat has seen them rise back into mid-table.
Barron is among a group of players determined to keep that progress going in the right direction, and he sees this Saturday’s Scottish Cup first round tie against Clachnacuddin as another opportunity to build momentum.
“We’re at a spot right now that we can all be happy with, but we have to kick on from now,” Barron explained.
“It’s Scottish Cup week, and after that we have to look to progress in the league. We’ll get back into it and solidify as a team, because we need to kick on and start winning consistently to be up there with the top of the league.
“Nairn County have never been, and never will be, a lower league team. We want to be fighting in that top six, and we’re not reaching that at the moment so nobody’s happy.
“We all as a unit, hopefully, will pick up more and more points and build on that spot we’re in.
“With new management and a whole group of new players, we maybe won’t be right at the top of the league, but this season we have to at least aim for something solid and build from that.
“You sometimes forget how new the squad is, but when you take a step back you realise that things do change.
“We have adapted to different coaches’ preferences, and I feel it’s starting to click now, so hopefully we can step on from here.”
