Brora Rangers’ long-serving groundsman Sandy Matheson can look upon the club’s historic title triumph with pride.
The 77-year-old has looked after the Dudgeon Park pitch for 39 years and it is one of the best in the league. Hundreds of Brora supporters celebrated as captain Steven Mackay hoisted the trophy after last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Inverurie Locos.
Matheson said: “In an average week I spend something like 20 hours on the pitch. I never thought I would live to see the day Brora would win the Highland League. We had some good times when Kevin Bremner was player-manager here about 20 years ago but we were never good enough.”
When asked how long he would continue to tend his precious pitch, Matheson added: “I’m 77 so it all depends how my health goes as to how long I will carry on. I’m not even sure about next season yet.”
Team manager Davie Kirkwood paid tribute to Matheson’s skill and dedication, saying: “Our pitch is second only to Nairn County’s Station Park in my opinion. It’s nothing short of miraculous that after the driest summer we had for years Sandy was able to get the park so good this term and again after the really wet winter we have had.
“Sandy is an absolute gem of a man who has been through thick and thin at Brora Rangers. On Sunday morning we had an under-13s game, so on Saturday night, when the whole town was jumping and celebrating our title triumph, Sandy was back out cutting the grass and marking the lines.”