Manager Steven Mackay hopes Nairn County can forge stronger links with League Two neighbours Elgin City after securing the loan services of talented forward Aidan Cruickshank.
The 17-year-old forward, who spent the first half of the season on loan at fellow Highland League club Strathspey Thistle, looks like having a bright future longer term at Borough Briggs.
He made his debut from the bench in Tuesday’s 2-0 derby win at Clach and Mackay, who was assistant boss to Gavin Price at City last year, hopes the relationship can lead to benefits all round as he waits to see what the teenager can bring to his in-form Nairn side.
He said: “We’re delighted to get Aidan. We’ve obviously got the connection with Elgin City, which we hope to strengthen as this season goes on and into next season.
“Hopefully the arrangement would be good for both clubs. This is an opportunity for Aidan to show what he can do and force his way into our starting line-up.
“I’d hope he will then go back to Elgin a better, stronger player. He’s had a good spell at Strathspey Thistle and he stood out against us when we played them. He’s got a lot of talent and a lot of ability, so hopefully he can show what he can do at Nairn in the coming weeks.”
Seventh spot within range for Nairn
Mackay came into Station Park in October, replacing Ronnie Sharp, with Nairn toiling too close to the foot of the division.
Goals from Andrew Greig and Ciaran Young earned his team a deserved 2-0 win against the Lilywhites this week, which stretched their unbeaten league run to eight fixtures.
It also moved them into ninth position ahead of Turriff United, with Forres Mechanics and Rothes above them in seventh and eighth place respectively.
Nairn are six points behind the Can Cans and five away from Rothes and, with games in hand on both, Mackay sees no reason why their local rivals cannot be caught.
He said: “Our initial aim was to get away from the foot of the table, which is what we’ve done. The response has been great.
“Seventh place is probably realistic for us, but you never know what can happen in this league. We have got a bit of momentum behind us now, which is great.
“We have now gone eight (league) games undefeated and we will take every game as it comes. We’ve a tough run ahead of us and it will be a good test for us to see how far we’ve come.”
Mackay wary of threat from Dee
A registration error saw Nairn’s weekend visitors Banks o’ Dee hammered with a 24-point punishment in their first season since promotion to the HFL.
Without that, the points on the pitch would place them on the cusp of the top five and Mackay expects a challenging 90 minutes against a team which scared unbeaten leaders Brechin City in a 4-4 thriller just before Christmas.
He added: “Banks o’ Dee are probably a top five team in the Highland League overall, so this will be a great test for us.
Two for Tuesday 🍕#ItsaNairnThing pic.twitter.com/aAQXxuZw67
— Nairn County FC (@NairnCounty) January 3, 2023
“They showed what they’re capable of when they raced into a 3-0 lead at Brechin City recently. These are the games which will allow us to see where we are.
“The confidence is high and you can see that with the way the boys are playing. Even although the pitch at Clach was a wee bit bobbly at times on Tuesday, we did try and get the ball down and play.
“Our wide men were excellent, going forward and defensively, while the midfield three were also solid, so confidence is high, which is great to see. We won’t take anything for granted.”
- The Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield semi-final between Buckie Thistle and Aberdeen will take place on Wednesday (January 11) at Victoria Park with an 8pm kick-off. Huntly will host Fraserburgh in the other semi-final on Wednesday January 18.
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