Midfielder Julia Ralph Scott says she is delighted to be back at Forfar Farmington after two years away from the club.

The 33 year old returned to Forfar at the beginning of the year after spending the previous two seasons at Glasgow City and Inverness City along with a period out of the game.

Scott reckons it was an easy decision to come back to Forfar due to the professionalism of the set up and knowing players like Nicola Davidson and Alana Bruce from her previous spell.

“It feels amazing to be back; as soon as Mark approached me I knew I wanted to play at a higher level again and this was a perfect opportunity to do so. I have been here before and it truly is a little family. The set up is very professional and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It was circumstantial why I left before but it’s great to be back in blue and playing under Mark and see the girls again.”

She continued: “As I said Forfar Farmington are very professional in their manner of running a club which is great to be a part of. As soon as I knew Mark and his staff were back it was an easy decision. I’m getting on a bit and don’t have many years left in me so it is nice to be part of a professional set up for as long as possible in my career. I also know a lot of the girls so I didn’t have the nervousness of a newbie either.”

She also reckons that the current crop of youngsters in the squad have improved massively since her previous spell, saying “Forfar have always had a talented bunch of girls and some of them I trained with before were in the development squad and they have now stepped up to the Premier League side and they have come on quite a lot as players.”

Scott travels down from Inverness every week with fellow northern pair Megan McCarthy and Kirsty Deans and while she doesn’t mind travelling alone, the experienced midfielder reckons travelling with the duo allows her to bond and relax with fellow teammates.

“Do you know, I have never really been bothered by travelling to training and games by myself in a car, but having the girls with you and to car share is great because you can unwind if you aren’t driving and the banter is great.”

When Scott signed for Glasgow City in 2014 she was only able to take part in one game because she then found out she was pregnant. After having a daughter later that year she returned to football with Inverness City in 2015 and despite relegation won the club’s Player of the Year award.

Scott said: “I actually enjoyed my season last year for selfish reasons. After pregnancy it was really difficult to get back into shape and I am still trying so playing helped a lot. Yes it was a difficult season but the team moral never wavered. I was moved to right back so I saw a lot of action which i really enjoyed!”

The side have been written off in some quarters similar to last season before the ‘Great Escape’ and Scott is confident that the side will prove everyone wrong once again; the side believing they can finish mid table or higher.

The veteran commented: “I am buzzing and nervous at the same time. As long as I can get that correct balance it will be great. I just hope I can contribute the way I want to in each game. It is going to be a challenging season but a challenge we can face.”

”We discussed this as a team and we hope for nothing less than fifth in the league which is manageable, reaching a final as well would be magic! As for myself, every player wants to be a part of every game so I hope I can achieve that, I want to stay fit and contribute as much as I can throughout the season and hopefully end the season with a few goals under my belt.”

“It’s tough to say how we will do but a lot of people have written us off. We are the true underdogs but we will fight every minute of every game to get results and prove the doubters wrong. There are a lot of strong teams in this league but I truly feel we can compete and get results as we have the potential and great depth within the squad and there is a fantastic backroom team here.”

Scott has played all over the country as well as spells with Doncaster Rovers Belles in England, Toronto Lynx in Canada and New York Magic in America but feels that this season has been her favourite pre season to be a part of, mentioning that there are no hiders in the side and that everyone is focused towards their goals.

She said: “This has been the best pre season I have ever been part of; for myself I knew I would have to work hard this pre season as I think every player is fighting for a position in the squad so that helped motivate me to get fitter and stronger. The support from the coaching staff has been phenomenal, every player seems to be focused and motivated to be the best they can be for the fight this season which is great because we are all pushing each other to be better.”