Turriff United boss Dean Donaldson is pleased his pursuit of Liam Strachan has finally paid off.
The midfielder has returned to the Haughs after three years at Formartine United.
Strachan made 63 appearances for Turriff between 2015 and 2019 prior to his move to Pitmedden.
Manager Donaldson revealed he tried to sign the 23-year-old when manager of Keith and also earlier in his Turriff tenure.
He said: “Liam will bring quality to our side, because he’s so good on the ball.
“I tried to sign him when I was at Keith and I’ve tried to bring him to Turriff before.
“He’s a player I’ve admired and wanted to sign for a long time.
“There were points when I was thinking we weren’t going to get him because there were three or four other clubs really keen to get him.
“I think all of us saw the same thing and the same qualities, but eventually we’ve managed to get him in.
“Liam being a Turriff boy has probably helped us as well. He’s got friends in our team as well, which is good and togetherness is a big part of things as well.”
Quality clear to see
Donaldson reckons Strachan’s ability on the ball can add a different dimension to Turriff’s play next season.
He added: “He can link defence and attack for us, which is something we’ve struggled with at times.
“Playing with Aberdeen in his youth days, he’s learned good traits and his quality on the ball is there to see.
“That was why I signed him – but it’s not just that he’s got a bit of dig as well and he’ll help our young players coming through.
“Liam has got a lot of experience for his age and, although he would have liked to have played more games at Formartine, that was just down to the options they had.
“He was out on loan a few times and every time I’ve seen him play he’s always been the player on the pitch that impressed me.
“He never hides from the ball, he always wants the ball and no matter where he is on the pitch he wants the ball and that’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.”