Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Inverurie’s McLean ready for Buckie meeting after new deal – but four Highland League games have been rained off

Locos captain Neil McLean, centre has a shot on goal.
Picture by Scott Baxter
Locos captain Neil McLean, centre has a shot on goal. Picture by Scott Baxter

Neil McLean is Mr Inverurie Locos but the veteran insists his decision to commit to a 17th campaign with the club was not an easy one.

The Locos captain has signed a one-year extension to keep him at Harlaw Park until the summer of 2021, when he will be 40, and while he knows father time is catching up with him he believes he is still fit enough to play a leading role.

When asked if it was an easy decision to sign on, he said: “Yes and no. There are more variables to weigh up now that I’m that bit older and have to think about the time commitment playing in the Highland League involves.

“At the end of this season I will be 39 so I certainly have the feeling that my days are numbered. However, my body and fitness are holding up and I still enjoy training and playing.

“I’ve had a good chat with the manager about where I am in his plans. We have a young squad coming through and it’s important we keep the continuity for next season.”

Locos are second in the table under manager Andy Low and assistant Steven Park, and McLean believes next season can be even better for the club.

He said: “I can only say Andy’s influence has been positive since taking over. He is a young manager who is ambitious and passionate about the job.

“The players feed of his enthusiasm and you see the reaction in training and games. I’ve played alongside Andy and Steven, so know how they conducted themselves and how good they were to play alongside.

“They are just the same now and want to win as much as we possibly can.

“There will be more to come from the management team once they get a full
pre-season together with the squad.”

McLean is in the squad for today’s Highland League match at Buckie Thistle while Jonny Smith is also added, but Neil Gauld is a doubt with a hamstring strain.

Locos also last night confirmed midfielder Craig Gill and forward Kyle Gordon have signed contract extensions to stay at the club until summer 2023.

Meanwhile, four of today’s Highland fixtures have been postponed due to waterlogged pitches with Brora Rangers v Formartine United, Fort William v Huntly, Forres Mechanics v Fraserburgh and Wick Academy v Strathspey Thistle all called off this morning.