Paul Brindle contemplated retiring but – inspired by the arrival of his baby son – he returns to Brora Rangers with a fresh desire.
The attacker rejoins the Cattachs, who he previously played for between 2015 and 2021, from Clachnacuddin.
After leaving Dudgeon Park, the 30-year-old spent last season with Forres Mechanics before switching to the Lilywhites this term.
With his contract up in the summer, Brindle was considering hanging up his boots, but after wife Yvonne gave birth to their son Ewan in February, his outlook changed.
Then, Ally MacDonald got in touch to offer him the chance to return to Brora.
Brindle said: “At one point I did think about retiring. A lot of people were saying: ‘you’re only 30, you’ve got good years ahead of you.’
“But next season will be my 13th season in the Highland League and everyone knows it’s a big commitment.
“We had a wee boy about seven weeks ago and I thought when he came along I would want to call it a day.
“But since he’s arrived, it’s changed my outlook and I want him to see me playing, so I decided to stick at it.
“That also coincided with Brora getting in touch and I thought it was too good an opportunity to turn down.”
📑✍️ Breaking News.
Brora Rangers FC are delighted to announce the return of Paul Brindle to the club. Paul has agreed a contact until the summer of 2025. Welcome back Paul! pic.twitter.com/0VxR4IjzrW— Brora Rangers (@brorarangers) April 10, 2023
Silverware the aim on Cattachs return
During his first spell with the Sutherland side, Brindle helped them win the GPH Builders Merchants Highland League Cup, three North of Scotland Cups and the Breedon Highland League twice during the Covid-19-disrupted 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
He is hoping for more success, and added: “At the time I thought it was right to leave Brora and try something new. I enjoyed my time at Forres and at Clach, but I feel I’ve got a lot to offer at Brora and I can get back to where I was a few years ago.
“When I had the conversation with Ally and thought about it, I felt like I wanted to be at the top end of the table competing.
“I feel like it will help me push on and hopefully I can contribute a lot to Brora and help bring more success.”
‘We all know Paul’s qualities’
Brora player-manager MacDonald played with Brindle during his first stint at Dudgeon Park and is looking forward to working with him again.
He said: “We know all about Paul’s qualities from his previous spell at Brora. I think he brings quality to our squad.
“As a management team we’ve looked at the squad as a whole and, when we look up front, we’re very reliant on Jordan MacRae and Andrew Macrae. They’re two of the top strikers in the league – their goals speak for themselves. However, if we were to lose either of them for any length of time, we’d be down to one striker.
“So it was important from a squad perspective that we brought in support and brought in someone who will increase the competition and lift the levels.
“Paul knows the club and he knows the expectations of playing for Brora. He’s also continued to score goals at Forres and Clach since leaving.
“When we’ve played against him this season, he’s been a real threat for Clach and it’s a move that made sense for us.”
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