Josh Morris open to making his Whitehill deal longer

The 26-year-old’s arrival last month from SPFL League 2 strugglers Cowdenbeath raised more than a few eyebrows around the Lowland League given his form at Hawick Royal Albert the previous season where a return of 34 goals in 38 appearances had earned him the opportunity to showcase his talents at a higher level.

However, things didn’t quite go according to plan and having cut short his one-year deal with the Blue Brazil in December, Morris felt Whitehill represented the best fit for him at this stage of his career.

“I had quite few options when I left Cowdenbeath,” explained Morris ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Edinburgh University.

“I had a couple of conversations with a couple of other League 2 sides but Cowdenbeath were dead set against me joining another rival.

“I just wanted to play football and despite there being interest from five or six teams in the Lowland League, I really liked (Whitehill manager) Gary Small’s enthusiasm. We’ll reassess things in the summer but I’m really enjoying it at the moment. It’s definitely an option [extending his stay] as the club have big plans to make things more professional. We’ve had little chats here and there but we’ll see what happens.”

Morris is adamant he won’t dwell on his all too brief spell at Central Park, though.

“Aside from the club’s struggles, it was really frustrating on a personal level during my time there,” he said. “I had a nightmare six months with injuries where every time I managed to get myself fit something else would crop up.

“Gary Locke was the one that brought me to the club and then left just three weeks later and I think from there on in, right up until I left, I worked under four different managers. I think that tells a story in itself. It’s really sad to see, especially with me being from Fife.

“But I think there has been a dark cloud hanging over the club for a few seasons now and as much as we as a group of players tried to ignore it, that uncertainty is difficult. Gary Bollan made it clear when he came in that I probably wasn’t his type of striker so we decided it was best for both parties that I move on.

“I knew a few of the boys at Whitehill before I signed but everyone has been so welcoming and I feel right at home. That always helps on the pitch too.

“Our form has been good, even before I arrived. I think it’s just a matter of trying to maintain that between now and the end of the season.

“We haven’t really spoken about targets. We just want to win as many games as possible and see where that takes us.

“But with the games we’ve got in hand, especially with them being at home, we’ve got to be trying to look into that top-six bracket. I don’t think there is any reason why we can’t reach that with the players we have.”

Meanwhile, Spartans will be looking to build on Tuesday night’s Football Nation Qualifying Cup quarter-final victory at Gretna 2008 when they visit Vale of Leithen.

And Civil Service Strollers are also in Borders action when they travel to Islecroft to play hosts Dalbeattie Star.