Colin Charlesworth says Huntly have recruited a natural leader after signing Jamie Michie.
The former Inverurie Locos and Formartine United player has joined the Black and Golds on a two-year contract, having been with Forres Mechanics since January.
Michie can play in central midfield or at full-back, and manager Charlesworth believes the 32-year-old will have a big impact at Christie Park.
He said: “Jamie’s a really good guy – he doesn’t shy away from any challenge put in front of him.
“He’s a strong character and a natural leader and you need them in a changing room.
“Jamie brings experience and a know-how when it comes to winning Highland League matches.
“He’s played a lot of games at every club he’s been at, and as a former team-mate, I’ve seen first hand how good he is.
“His set-piece delivery, ability to start attacks from deep and his versatility to play in a couple of different positions are all positives.
“We’ve got a good and reasonably young team, but I don’t think you can ever have enough experience in the changing room – and Jamie fits that bill.
“I’m not looking to be working with a squad of 25 or 26 players. I’m happy working with a tighter squad where we have boys who can play a couple of positions.
“Jamie is a cracking player and we’ve got good players in the positions he plays, but he’ll be very competitive and will help push us on.”
Boss hopes to do more business
Already this summer, Huntly have signed forward Sam Robertson from Inverurie Locos and brought midfielder Adam Morris back to the club following a sabbatical.
But Charlesworth is still keen to do more business, with the Black and Golds set to lose five players from the 2023-24 squad.
Kyle Dalling has joined Deveronvale, Andy Hunter and Robbie Foster’s contracts are up and they have signalled they will be moving on, and loanees Blair McKenzie and Fin Allen have returned to Aberdeen and Elgin City respectively.
Charlesworth added: “We’re working on one or two other things. We’ve lost a few players so we need to try to make sure we add depth to the squad.
“We don’t need major surgery, but we just need to try to add a little bit more to try to help us push on again.
“Hopefully we’ll get some answers from the people we’re speaking to soon.”
Alberts on the move
Meanwhile, Fergus Alberts has left Turriff United to join Junior club Dyce.
The former Huntly and Inverurie Locos striker has been at the Haughs since February 2023.
However, Alberts, 22, was loaned to Dyce in January and has now made a permanent switch to Ian Mair Park.
