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Darryl McHardy aiming to cap off milestone year with glory after clocking up 300th appearance for Elgin City

Darryl McHardy in action against Drumchapel United. Image: Jasperimage
Darryl McHardy in action against Drumchapel United. Image: Jasperimage

Darryl McHardy is determined to avoid finishing his Elgin City career with the regret of not winning promotion from League Two.

McHardy clocked up his 300th appearance for the Black and Whites in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Stranraer.

The defender is quickly back in action tonight, when Gavin Price’s men make the trip to Albion Rovers.

Elgin have dropped to seventh place in the table, however, a victory at Cliftonhill would return them to the promotion play-off spots.

City have yet to win promotion since entering the Scottish Leagues in 2000, but have reached the play-offs on three occasions.

At just 27, McHardy still has plenty time to achieve his ambition but he is eager to create history with his hometown club sooner rather than later.

McHardy, who will enjoy a testimonial dinner at Borough Briggs on Sunday, said: “Playing 300 games is amazing. To have played that number of games at this level, I’m quite proud of myself.

“I’m probably the fittest I have been just now. I have been doing a bit of extra work this year.

“I still remember what it felt like when I scored my first goal against Clyde, and it doesn’t feel like that long ago.

“The manager told me recently that I’ll soon realise how quick football goes.

“This year we need to make memories, the play-offs is a must. Hopefully, this is a year to remember.

“I don’t want to finish my career with Elgin City not getting promoted. I firmly believe we can do it.”

City left to take stock following Stranraer loss

McHardy was highly critical of his side’s performance against Stranraer at the weekend, as City look to turn around a poor run of five league matches without a win.

He added: “We played so well in the Scottish Cup against Ayr, and we tried to replicate it on Saturday but we just crumbled.

Elgin City manager Gavin Price. Image: SNS

“We were not good enough. From the goalkeeper to the strikers we were all absolutely awful.

“Saturday has given us a scare. Only a few weeks ago we were just a couple of points off second place. If we had beaten East Fife we would have moved seven points ahead of them in third.

“Now, if we lose our next few games we will be near the bottom of the league.

“It’s so tight. This is a game in hand and it’s a must-win, we can’t go down there thinking about a draw or anything like that.”

Fond memories of Cliftonhill

McHardy has fond memories of Cliftonhill, having netted a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory against the Coatbridge outfit in February 2019.

With Rovers ninth in the table, McHardy is eager to return to winning ways against a side they shared a 1-1 draw with earlier this month.

McHardy added: “I don’t know about other players but I would play Saturday to Tuesday all season if I could.

“I actually think they are a good enough side. Charlie Reilly is a big threat, who was linked with a move to full-time in January.

“Away from home has not been too bad for us. We have not played that well, but we have got a few results.

“At home, I’m not sure what is going on. We need to find a solution as soon as possible.

“We need to go down there and get a result to perk everyone up and get the fans back on our side, and then we’ve got a tough game away to Dumbarton.

“We need to get back into a style of play where we can be comfortable, and start picking up results.

“We need to get a bit of consistency – I say the same thing every time.”

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