Drakies FC - The best team you've never heard of... until now.
Est 2017, Drakies FC play in the Inverness & District Amateur League. Embarking on their inaugural season (running through till August 2017) they are taking the first steps to becoming a true northern powerhouse. We like them, we like them so much in fact that we worked with them on a special edition team kit. More than that, we roped in our good friend and regular collaborator Matt Blease to work up an iconic club crest. He nailed it.
With a handful of games under their belts, we got in touch with club captain Dean Mackay for the first update.
Flatspot: Hang on, we are assuming you are the Captain... has that been decided yet?
Dean Mackay: (laughing) I'm actually not no, we collectively decided to give that responsibility to our good friend Raffan, he's been playing in the league for years and has been the best footballer in our group of friends for as long as I remember. I guess i'm on the imaginary board of directors, alongside another few friends, pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
FSP: Starting with the name, who or what is a Drakies?
DM: Drakies is the housing estate where the majority of us grew up, played football and hung out throughout school. There's no teams playing under the Drakies name after primary school level, until now. So instead of playing for another area, or pub team, we're flying the flag for Drakies.
FSP: How about Matt Blease's Eagle crest, feels pretty powerful?
DM: So good! I've been following his work for ages and was so stoked to hear you guys got him on board. He smashed it, and we've had plenty compliments since sharing.
FSP: Frank Abagnale (snr) famously commented; "Why do the Yankees always win? ... The other team can't stop looking at the pinstripes." - Are the kits giving you the edge already?
DM: So far so good! We have a 100% record in the league so far*, it's got to be down to the kits right?
FSP: Have you all regularly played? What are the fitness levels like?
DM: Most of us have been playing football of some description over the years, while a few of the boys are better versed in boxing. Haha.. fitness, we'll get there eventually, it's been years since some of us have played a full 90 minutes but we're pretty optimistic about the season if everyone stays fit, we've definitely got a solid group of lads.
FSP: Explain the structure of the Inverness & District Amateur League... how many get promoted, and to where? ... and getting ahead of ourselves, where next?
DM: There's 27 member teams split between 3 divisions, the Premier League and the 1st and 2nd divisions. A couple of teams get promoted and another two relegated between divisions each year, because we're a new team we start at the bottom in division 2. Where next? Promotion is the ultimate aim but it's almost impossible to guess what'll happen after just one game. Are we capable though? Definitely.
FSP: Well, it's been a good start...
DM: It was a whirlwind start. We went behind almost instantly and seemed to be on the back foot for most of the first half, every time we scored Polonia replied almost immediately. It was 3-3 at half time and after a quick few words of wisdom from our captain Raffan we were back out and looking better. Polonia scored early but had a man sent off after a second yellow card and we capitalised, scoring another 3. An eventful game to get the ball rolling but a win nonetheless, we're improving with every outing.
FSP: I was reading into Polonia FC - they're all of Polish extraction and (founder) Father Piotr Rytel has suggested that they have "have God on their side.” What that difficult to overcome?... (laughing) the god part, not the Polish bit.
DM: (laughing) They were a good side. Every games a battle at this stage, we don't really know how we compare to each of the teams in the league and most of them have been playing together for years, so we just have to go into every game thinking it'll be a tough one.
FSP: Have you been working on advance strategy ahead of the games?
DM: We're taking baby steps on the strategic front, so far it's been run farther, compete more passes and score more goals than the opponent, easy right? We'll work things out throughout the season and who knows, maybe our tactics will help us put our hands on some silverware.
FSP: Does someone take on that mantel... 'technical coordinator'?
DM: We're all close pals, so if someone has a new idea we want to here it. Everyones been chipping in here and there, hopefully that'll help us progress and maybe give us an edge over our opponents. Where most teams are run by one or two people, we're all involved.
FSP: Good luck, we'll be checking in.
* As of posting, the team are P5, W4, L1, D0 in the league.
* You can receive regular updates from Drakies FC on their Twitter and Instagram feeds
www.twitter.com/drakiesfc
www.instagram.com/drakiesfc
With a handful of games under their belts, we got in touch with club captain Dean Mackay for the first update.
Flatspot: Hang on, we are assuming you are the Captain... has that been decided yet?
Dean Mackay: (laughing) I'm actually not no, we collectively decided to give that responsibility to our good friend Raffan, he's been playing in the league for years and has been the best footballer in our group of friends for as long as I remember. I guess i'm on the imaginary board of directors, alongside another few friends, pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
FSP: Starting with the name, who or what is a Drakies?
DM: Drakies is the housing estate where the majority of us grew up, played football and hung out throughout school. There's no teams playing under the Drakies name after primary school level, until now. So instead of playing for another area, or pub team, we're flying the flag for Drakies.
FSP: How about Matt Blease's Eagle crest, feels pretty powerful?
DM: So good! I've been following his work for ages and was so stoked to hear you guys got him on board. He smashed it, and we've had plenty compliments since sharing.
FSP: Frank Abagnale (snr) famously commented; "Why do the Yankees always win? ... The other team can't stop looking at the pinstripes." - Are the kits giving you the edge already?
DM: So far so good! We have a 100% record in the league so far*, it's got to be down to the kits right?
FSP: Have you all regularly played? What are the fitness levels like?
DM: Most of us have been playing football of some description over the years, while a few of the boys are better versed in boxing. Haha.. fitness, we'll get there eventually, it's been years since some of us have played a full 90 minutes but we're pretty optimistic about the season if everyone stays fit, we've definitely got a solid group of lads.
FSP: Explain the structure of the Inverness & District Amateur League... how many get promoted, and to where? ... and getting ahead of ourselves, where next?
DM: There's 27 member teams split between 3 divisions, the Premier League and the 1st and 2nd divisions. A couple of teams get promoted and another two relegated between divisions each year, because we're a new team we start at the bottom in division 2. Where next? Promotion is the ultimate aim but it's almost impossible to guess what'll happen after just one game. Are we capable though? Definitely.
FSP: Well, it's been a good start...
DM: It was a whirlwind start. We went behind almost instantly and seemed to be on the back foot for most of the first half, every time we scored Polonia replied almost immediately. It was 3-3 at half time and after a quick few words of wisdom from our captain Raffan we were back out and looking better. Polonia scored early but had a man sent off after a second yellow card and we capitalised, scoring another 3. An eventful game to get the ball rolling but a win nonetheless, we're improving with every outing.
FSP: I was reading into Polonia FC - they're all of Polish extraction and (founder) Father Piotr Rytel has suggested that they have "have God on their side.” What that difficult to overcome?... (laughing) the god part, not the Polish bit.
DM: (laughing) They were a good side. Every games a battle at this stage, we don't really know how we compare to each of the teams in the league and most of them have been playing together for years, so we just have to go into every game thinking it'll be a tough one.
Contin 3 - 4 Drakies FC (Darren M x2, Raffan, Matej ⚽️) 3 games, 3 wins, top of the league 🔥
— Drakies FC (@drakiesfc) April 26, 2017
FSP: Have you been working on advance strategy ahead of the games?
DM: We're taking baby steps on the strategic front, so far it's been run farther, compete more passes and score more goals than the opponent, easy right? We'll work things out throughout the season and who knows, maybe our tactics will help us put our hands on some silverware.
FSP: Does someone take on that mantel... 'technical coordinator'?
DM: We're all close pals, so if someone has a new idea we want to here it. Everyones been chipping in here and there, hopefully that'll help us progress and maybe give us an edge over our opponents. Where most teams are run by one or two people, we're all involved.
FSP: Good luck, we'll be checking in.
* As of posting, the team are P5, W4, L1, D0 in the league.
* You can receive regular updates from Drakies FC on their Twitter and Instagram feeds
www.twitter.com/drakiesfc
www.instagram.com/drakiesfc
