Ryan McRitchie hopes to make a positive first impression if his Forres Mechanics debut comes against Keith tonight.
It is hoped the frost of recent days will lift to allow the Maroons to face the Can-Cans at Kynoch Park in the Breedon Highland League this evening, after the fixture was postponed at the weekend.
McRitchie – who has previously played for Rothes and Huntly in the Highland League – signed for Forres on Friday having returned from a spell in Australia in November.
Reflecting on why he joined the Can-Cans, the 24-year-old said: “When I came back from Australia, I had a few managers get in touch with me.
“I’ve worked with the manager Steven MacDonald before and he’s a good bloke. He told me about the goals at Forres and they matched up quite well with what I want to do.
“I haven’t played a game since July. I’ve been keeping fit and I’ve been training, but that’s not the same as match fitness.
“But hopefully I’ll get up to speed pretty quickly.
“I think Forres have been playing well, but have maybe been hard done by in terms of results.
📑✍️ SIGNING NEWS 📑✍️
Forres Mechanics FC are delighted to announce the signing pending FIFA & SFA approval of ex-ICT & Rothes FC defender Ryan McRitchie after his return from a stint in Australia.https://t.co/sMJ5frU9d6
Welcome to Mosset Park Ryan 🟤🟡⚽️ pic.twitter.com/ZlHzwNOgmk
— Forres Mechanics F.C. (@TheCansOfficial) January 5, 2024
“Hopefully I can make an impact and help the team pick up a few more results.”
During his stint in Australia, McRitchie featured for Melbourne side Mazenod FC.
He added: “Melbourne was really good.
“In terms of the football, it was a similar standard to the Highland League. But there was more emphasis on playing out from the back and keeping the ball – that’s a big thing.
“There’s a family atmosphere around the clubs in Australia, which was good to be part of.
“Away from football, the lifestyle was really good. The work-life balance with football was really good.
“I worked as a tree surgeon, so that was a good skill to pick up.”
Maroons aim to turn performances into points
Keith are 17th in the Highland League table, six places and five points below Forres.
But midfielder Craig Gill is determined to help the Maroons climb the division.
The 24-year-old says Keith need to find a way to turn positive performances into points, with seven of their 10 league defeats this term being by a single goal.
Gill said: “Looking at the table we’re second bottom and we don’t have as many points we want.
“In almost all the games we’ve played, we’ve competed and it’s been close.
“We’ve lost a lot of games by a goal and it’s hard to put a finger on why we haven’t taken more points from those close games.
“We don’t want to be in the position we’re in, but if we can keep it tight and take our chances, we’ll be ok.
“If we could win a couple of games, it would give the boys a massive boost.”
After the weekend postponement, Gill is pleased this fixture has been rearranged so quickly.
He added: “It’s been quite a stop-start season as well and we haven’t had a consistent run of games.
“Fingers crossed the game is on and we can get the ball rolling again.”
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