McCrae makes switch as Horsham YM bolster squad

Romone McCrae, who can play in midfield or as a striker, has appeared for Posh and Crawley Town, and was once linked with a move to current Premier League side Crystal Palace. He signs on loan from Redhill until the end of the season.

McCrae is joined in the YM squad by Steve Halliday, previously of Canterbury City, who has recently moved from Kent to the Horsham district.

Buckland said: “Romone is a phenomenal player. He has a lot of ability.”

He described Halliday as ‘a utility man who can play across the back four’.

Buckland is hopeful of making further additions to his thin squad, who have suffered with league matches being postponed and are still in three cup competitions.

He said: “We like to keep going – we are like a herd of wildebeast, once we get going we don’t want to stop.

“This stop-start is no good for anybody. It is going to be very interesting to see which clubs adapt the quickest.

“We are third in the league and kind of control our own destiny because we still have to play the teams around us. We can’t control the weather.”

During the break in fixtures caused by flooding across the county, YMCA have been training at a 3G pitch owned by Crawley Town.

In a friendly on the surface last weekend, they drew 5-5 with Redhill, who play in the division above YM, the Ryman Division One South.

Buckland, who said the freak friendly result was due to both sides’ inexperience on 3G, is pessimistic about County League football taking place this weekend.

He said: “In all honesty I can’t see a lot of football being played on Saturday.

“From the following weekend, I think we should be okay. It is a question of getting by until then. It has been a nightmare, but we are managing.”

However, the manager added that financially ‘we are more fortunate than others’.