We'll unite them on the beaches

The gaffer is looking at the possibility of indoor places, as are other teams, and public parks – while he hasn’t ruled out a get-together at Portobello beach, if necessary.

The weather has claimed the Albert’s last two league matches, while a number of players have work commitments, and the club’s main training facility in Edinburgh is now closed until early January.

However, McGovern is reasonably confident of finding somewhere to fit in two or three sessions around Christmas and ahead of the next game at home on December 29 to Tweedmouth Rangers, withoug a point after 13 straight losses, in East of Scotland League Conference ‘A’.

“It’s an important game and it will be another difficult match – every game for us is a big one,” said McGovern. “From Tweedmouth’s point of view, they are looking to get points on the board.

“It’s getting to a crucial stage of the season and they’re looking above them, thinking ‘who can we look to catch?’ And, of course, the first team they see is ourselves.

“So it’s a big game for them but we have to treat it as us being the hometeam, and we need a better performance than we produced in the last home match. If I can have a fully fit squad available, it would certainly help. We will look to take three points and try and create a bit of filler and a gap between us and Tweedmouth.”