Brilliant Brechin City back up Trouten’s pre-season prediction

“Look at Leicester – if they can do it at their level, then Brechin can too!”

Those were the optimistic words of Brechin City striker Alan Trouten when Ladbrokes News caught up with the 30-year-old hitman ahead of this Ladbrokes League 1 campaign, and it seems the City man’s confidence was well-founded.

Having been 22/1 outsiders to lift the title before play began, City have upset the odds by taking 13 points from their opening five games, to occupy top spot ahead of pre-season favourites Alloa Athletic and Livingston.

They’ve been just as good on the road as at the scenic Glebe Park, and as Trouten told us, “there is a great fanbase at Brechin…we get brilliant support home and away, and there are some very passionate folk following the side.”

No doubt that’s helped Darren Dods’ men en route to away triumphs at Albion Rovers and East Fife – though the side’s lethal finishing, with two goals from six attempts at Bayview, has been an even more important factor.

So too has defence. Brechin boast the best backline in the league right now, with just four goals conceded in their opening five games, building on a good run which saw the Angus outfit ship just eight times in their last ten outings of the 2015-16 campaign.

“This side has real momentum right now and we’ll be hoping all the new boys can contribute to that”, Trouten told us back in July. And they certainly have done, with Ross Caldwell, Ally Love and Dougie Hill all among the goals in Ladbrokes League 1 already.

But while the affable forward has always been happy to divert the praise to his teammates, he’s also made a huge contribution of his own since returning to the club – and fans will be hoping his recovery from a current injury is swift.

A coolly-taken penalty to open the scoring at Albion Rovers and a cheeky finish in the 2-1 victory over Stenhousemuir helped City to start the season in the perfect way. There’s no doubting Brechin fans are desperate to see ‘Trout’ back in the starting XI, but his teammates are keeping the side afloat during his absence.

Victory over Airdrieonians was secured by a 3-2 margin on Saturday, in a game boss Dods described as one that “we might have gone on to lose at this stage last season”.

The signs suggest it will take something special to beat them – so backing the 10/1 for a Brechin title triumph looks like fantastic value, before that price potentially tumbles again.

And they’re next in action on Saturday, with City 27/10 to record a victory at Livingston.

If you’re interested in checking out our original interview with ‘Trouts’, you can find it here.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing