Tonight we look at fourth and once again there is quite a split in opinion.  Two of us have gone for Formartine, two have gone for Deveronvale meanwhile John Rose has placed his trust in Teasdale by giving Huntly their highest berth of this season's set.  Keith complete the line up courtesy of GM.

Last Season: Prediction: 14th Actual: 13^th
P 34 W 9 D 4 L 21 GD -26 Pts 31
SuperStat: In one season Formartine gained 27 more points than Fort did in the last four and already Brora, Lossie and Rothes are in their sights in our cumulative table running from August 2006.

Post Season Positives: 
Along with the arrival of a handful of new faces with that bit of pedigree they have worked hard on increasing the size of their playing surface.  Just like the development of a certain golf course along the road it was always going to take a few years to get the playing surface into the ideal condition but I have no doubt the work already done will pay off this season given the quality of player they have in the final third.

Post Season Negatives: 
The loss of Kenny Coull.  He is a clever player and a good guy so there is no doubt that the dressing room will miss his presence and his ability.

Key Man: 
I must admit to being tempted to put the Board down for this because it is their drive and ambition that has taken the club so far forward on and off the park in such a short time frame.  However, I am going to plump for Barry Somers.  Given the quality of the players in the final third his willingness to get in the box should reap even more rewards this season because his team mates will be able to pick him out time and time again.  He will have a big role to play in where the Pitmedden side finish this season.

Prediction 2010-2011: 
They are a team that everyone has on their radar for a title challenge but John Gardiner would choke on his bran flakes if he was to wake up and find I had tipped them to take the title.  He far prefers being given a placing of 10^th or there about.

Seriously though they have a great deal of attacking talent in their squad and have a stronger player pool than they did this time last year.  There will be a clear progression and I have little doubt that a trophy and top four (maybe even three or two) is the in-house target for this campaign. 

I hope they are able to pick up some silverware this term because there is nothing quite as magical as winning something for the first time, or for the first time in decades.  Without their drive we would probably be looking at another 15 team season and their impact on the league has already been a substantial one.

However, while they may get close to 100 goals scored, I am not convinced they have the defensive cover to go all the way over a 34 game league campaign and therefore they are just on the periphery of the leading lights sitting 4th

Pundit's Predictions: 4th Place

Andrew Kindness: (Scot Ads)
4th: Formartine United
Reasoning: Potential Champions every season!

John Rose: (MFR Sport)
4th: Huntly
Reasoning: A lot of changes, a lot of expectation, whether the magic wand of John Teasdale has the desired response from the get-go is another thing.  Perhaps their woeful end to last season was all just a ruse to get the odds up for Huntly's success in season 2010/11(!)  At least he's had the chance to see what's required following his spell towards the end of last season, but I wouldn't expect miracles overnight.

Graeme Macleod: (http://www.highlandleague.net/ Chief Reporter)
4th: Keith
Reasoning: The best move Keith made last season was getting their managerial switch out of the way mid-season. It gave the incoming Darren Still time to assess the squad he inherited from the highly successful Martin Allan and put his own stamp on things. Still has now strengthened in the areas he felt needed bolstering and has implemented his beliefs on the squad. The change also appears to have brought a freshness to Kynoch Park with many long-serving players gaining a new lease of life. If Cammy Keith can continue his terrific form from the second half of last season into this one then the Maroons will do well.

Brian Barclay: (The Barclay Files)
4th: Deveronvale
Reasoning: Lack of points at home cost Vale last season so they will have to put that right to challenge again. Looking more to give youth a chance this season.

John Innes: (Innes Interviews)
4th: Deveronvale
Reasoning: Much has been made of the lack of finance to bring in new players but Scott and Stuart have been building their own squad and are well placed to challenge again. Mark Chisholm and Mark Rusty Smith need to hit top form regularly and they also need to get the best out of Mike McKenzie. Can they be consistent enough to win the League?