Elgin City midfielder Lewis Hyde is the latest north footballer to give us the lowdown on his career in our Starting XI feature.
The 22-year-old former Caley Thistle player is enjoying his first season for the Black and Whites as they challenge at the top end of League Two.
This weekend, Hyde and his Elgin team-mates host leaders East Fife as they bid to remain in the promotion chase.
He’s made 23 appearances this season and was City’s man of the match in the recent 3-0 Scottish Cup defeat by Aberdeen.
What do you remember about your senior debut?
It was for Caley Thistle in September 2019 and I was on the bench for a Challenge Cup tie against Morton.
I was just 17 at the time and the team that day was taken by Scott Kellacher and Barry Wilson. John Robertson was the manager, but he watched on from the stand.
It was my first full season as a full-time player and I thought making the bench was quite an achievement.
We were winning 3-1 and Kel and Baz chucked me on for the last two minutes.
It was a really proud day for me. I grew up watching Caley Thistle and I had managed to get on the pitch. I didn’t touch the ball, but it was still an achievement.
What is your career highlight so far?
It would definitely being part of the squad for the 2023 Scottish Cup final for Caley Thistle (in a 3-1 defeat against Celtic).
Just the whole experience speaks for itself really.
Who is the best player you have played with?
I’ve played with a lot of really good players, so that’s tough.
I’ll have to pick two, Billy Mckay and Aaron Doran from my time at Caley Thistle.
And who is your toughest opponent?
One that stands out was when I played at right-back for Caley Thistle against Partick Thistle in the promotion play-offs (in 2022) and Scott Tiffoney gave me such a hard time.
Dressing room threads – who has the worst fashion sense in the Elgin City dressing room?
While Russell Dingwall is a contender for this award, Rory MacEwan wins it by a mile.
He wears these colourful crocs – you’d have to pay someone to wear them!
How would your team-mates describe you?
Hopefully they would say I’m a hard worker at training and in matches, someone who likes to maintain high standards.
What is the best advice you have been given?
Probably that mistakes happen in football and it’s all about how you respond to them. That’s an important lesson.
What is your favourite away ground and why?
I played for Caley Thistle against Hearts at Tynecastle and that was a great experience.
It was a League Cup tie (a 1-0 loss in October 2020) and during Covid, so there was very few people inside, but the seats are so close to the pitch and the surface was first-class. I can only imagine what it would be like when it’s packed.
What is your favourite goal scored by you or a team-mate?
I’d go for Reece McAlear’s equalising free-kick for Caley Thistle in the first leg of the Premiership play-off final against St Johnstone in May 2022.
We looked down and out, trailing 2-0 at home, but that free-kick (after McAlear has scored to make it 2-1) completely shifted the momentum of the game and we drew 2-2, which gave us a fighting chance in the second leg (which St Johnstone won 4-0).
If you were stranded on a desert island and had to bring one current or former team-mate for help, who would it be and why?
There are not many boys that I know that I would take on a desert island with me, but I’d have to opt for Ross Draper. He’s a big lad and he’s smart, so it would have to be him.
How do you relax away from football?
I like to keep active, so I go for a walk or to the gym, or otherwise just relax with the missus, watching TV to unwind.
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