Cammy Keith returned to his spiritual Kynoch Park home yesterday – three-and-a-half years after he left Keith to join Formartine United.
Formartine shelled out a Highland League record £30,000 for the prolific attacker in June 2013 and now Keith have also paid a club record fee to bring back the 29-year-old on a contract which will also last three-and-a-half years.
The Maroons beat off stiff competition from several other clubs but, for the player himself, one factor was crucial.
He said: “I’m only 18 goals behind Keith’s record goalscorer Derek Nicol.
“I scored 182 goals in my seven-year spell in the first team, either side of my time at college in America, at Kynoch Park, while Derek amassed exactly 200 during his long and successful career at the club.
“I’ve scored 270 goals in Highland League football and there are quite a few more goals left in me.
“Joining Formartine was too good an opportunity for me to turn down.
“I finished on a high at Keith by winning the Highland League Cup and I had a thoroughly enjoyable three seasons at Formartine but, after my recent six-month sabbatical, I realised the time was right for me to move on.
“As soon as Keith came in for me I was really keen to go back as I feel there is unfinished business for me there.
“I spoke to manager Allan Hale and he convinced me that Kynoch Park is once again an exciting place to be.
“It is good to see the club getting back to where it belongs and I am keen to be a part of that again.”
Kynoch Park manager Hale said: “This is a significant financial investment by the club and a signal of Keith’ s intent about where we all want to go.
“It is the type of signing I have been trying to make since I arrived at Kynoch Park. We have an ambitious plans in place and we are striving to move that forward with this signing.
“Cammy is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the Highland League and we are very lucky we have managed to persuade him to come back to the club where he started his career.
“Cammy is still only 29, so I think there is still an awful lot more goals to come.
“He still has that hunger and ambition to win things and that is the type of character we are trying to bring to Keith.”