The village club one game away from the football big time

"Highland League champions Brora Rangers FC is in a play-off against Edinburgh City for a place in League Two. The teams drew 1-1 in the first leg in Brora and are now preparing for a final showdown in the capital on Saturday. "It would be amazing to get into the second division - this is making history for Brora," said club director Mary Stewart, who grew on a street behind the team's Dudgeon Park ground."

"Brora, about 50 miles (80km) north of Inverness, is a community of about 1,200 people on the North Coast 500 tourist route. In the 1900s, Brora was the first place north of Inverness to have electricity, leading its residents to nickname their home Electric City. And it was the site of the UK's most northerly deep coal mine, before the last shafts closed in the 1970s."

"The village football team was founded in 1879 and joined the Highland League in 1962. It also competed for promotion to League Two in 2015, but narrowly lost out to Montrose. Mary Stewart believes her beloved club is on the brink of joining the big leagues. "We've had a lot of good times over the years, but this would top it all," she said."

"Residents of Brora said excitement was building ahead of the weekend's crunch match. But life-long fan Struan Gunn was left with a painful reminder of last Saturday's 1-1 draw. The 35-year-old broke a finger celebrating Brora Rangers' opening goal. "I got a little bit excited and ended up having to go to hospital," said Gunn. He said securing promotion would be a dream come true"

Brora Rangers FC, Highland League champions, is preparing for a decisive play-off against Edinburgh City for a place in Scotland’s League Two. The first leg ended 1-1 in Brora, and the return match will be played in Edinburgh on Saturday. Club director Mary Stewart said promotion would be historic for Brora and praised the squad and the management and coaching team. Brora is a small North Coast 500 community known as “Electric City” for early electricity and for a deep coal mine that closed in the 1970s. The club was founded in 1879 and joined the Highland League in 1962. Fans described growing excitement, including a supporter who broke a finger while celebrating the opening goal.

Read at www.bbc.com