Elgin City midfielder Rory MacEwan credits his four-year stint with Stirling University with giving him the platform to step up to League 2 football with the Black and Whites.
MacEwan, who is from Cummingstown, briefly featured for City’s first team at the age of 17 before moving to Stirling in 2015, where he completed a degree in sports science.
After playing in the Lowland League for Stirling, MacEwan rejoined Elgin in the summer after moving back to Moray, and he feels a rapid introduction to men’s football has helped him come of age since his last Borough Briggs stint.
MacEwan said: “At Stirling University you get to play adult football right from the start. You have to adapt straight away, going from being a 17-year-old playing youth football straight into playing men’s football. That’s quite a sharp learning curve.
“If you don’t play in the first team, you can play in the second team in the East of Scotland league – so there are always opportunities.
“It’s a great setup at Stirling. Even if the astroturf is frozen, we could get on to the indoor pitch or get a free spin class.
“A few of the boys from when at Elgin before who are still around, so it was nice to know a couple of people when I came back. There were also familiar faces behind the scenes.
“It has been quite easy to step back in.”
MacEwan has enjoyed a strong run in Gavin Price’s side in recent weeks, netting three goals in his last five outings, and he added: “I always want to be playing, but getting goals on top of that is just an added bonus really.
“I can play quite a few positions but I have been playing right midfield. Brian Cameron and Russell Dingwall in the middle is a good combination, so I wasn’t getting a game there.
“I have been moved out right and that has worked out for me.”
City host bottom-placed Brechin City today, with the Black and Whites aiming to reduce the five-point gap
“It has been frustrating recently. We have drawn four of the last five games in the league.
“Some have been from winning positions, and some from losing positions. It’s just frustrating getting draws – but the one down at Stenhousemuir was the worst, losing a goal in the 95th minute.
“On Saturday, Albion scored about three minutes after we did which just killed the game a little bit.
“hopefully we can turn a corner and start turning those draws into wins.”