The Mighty Mo is on a roll.
In what’s been a whirlwind few weeks, it seems Gable Endies have had nothing but good news to shout about.
Obviously for those whose mecca every second Saturday sits at the end of Wellington Street, the last weekend of April will remain etched in the memory as the day a 33-year trophy drought was quenched with the champagne from the Scottish League Two trophy
That celebration bubbly was the sweetest of tastes for a club which had flirted with departure from the Scottish league just a few seasons previously – teetering on the brink with the precariousness of the dune-side tees on the now renamed Montrose Medal course, the new moniker of the 1562 Course and a bow to the 450 years of sporting heritage of the world’s fifth oldest track.
Fast forward to last week and the town enjoyed what, in footie parlance, might be described as a quickfire double.
First up was the announcement of a £1.5 million Scottish Government grant to go on top of almost £6 million of investment by Montrose Port Authority to allow the town harbour to welcome bigger boats into the harbour.
Alongside cutting an estimated 86,000 truck journeys in five years, the spend will safeguard more than 30 jobs in a boom period for the 525-year-old port.
Of the 550 vessels visiting each year, 75% are oil and gas-related, and the name of Montrose will reach further after oilfield services group Baker Hughes also quickly unveiled its plans for a £31m, 100-job research and development campus close to the GE company outfit’s existing facilities to the north end of the town.
A Scottish Enterprise grant of almost £5m is being pumped into the subsea “centre of excellence” and Angus Council leader Bob Myles hit the mark when he described the announcement as “a vote of confidence in Angus, our place on the global stage and our people’s ability to play a part in it.”
And let’s not forget GSK – whose town plant survived the axe not so many years ago – and has since been the focus of significant investment and continuing success.
On the park or off, it seems bouncebackability is becoming a feature of the marvellous Mo.
