Buckie Thistle’s Shaun Wood admits he’s gutted to have to retire but says he hangs up his boots with plenty of cherished memories.
The 32-year-old defender has decided to retire having struggled to regain full fitness after breaking his right ankle in November 2022.
Wood has now discovered he has arthritis in his ankle and will stop playing following his testimonial against Elgin City on Saturday July 6 at Victoria Park.
He joined the Jags from Buckie Rovers in 2012 and was on loan at Deveronside this year as he tried to get back up to speed.
Explaining his decision to retire, Wood, who is from Portsoy, said: “I had been considering retiring for a wee while because I started working offshore last year.
“It’s hard to balance football and going offshore because I don’t always know when I’m going to be at home and stuff like that.
“So it was on the cards anyway and I was on loan at Deveronside and was still getting pain in my ankle.
“I got an X-ray and it turns out I’ve got arthritis in my ankle so that was the final nail in the coffin.
“I was gutted about it, I enjoyed getting back playing at Deveronside, but I was only able to play on a Saturday.
“During the week I couldn’t train because of the pain, but the games I played I really enjoyed.
“It’s gutting have to stop, but there’s not a lot I can do about it.”
Trophy highlights
During his time with Buckie, Wood helped the club win the Breedon Highland League in 2017 and the Evening Express Aberdeenshire Cup a year earlier.
Although the Jags won the championship again this year he unfortunately didn’t feature.
Wood added: “I’ve got a lot of good memories from my career, I managed to win the Highland League and the Aberdeenshire Cup.
“I would have liked to win everything, but unfortunately I didn’t manage to get my hands on the Aberdeenshire Shield and Highland League Cup.
“But I’ve got so many good memories to look back on and I’ve really enjoyed it.
“Winning the league in 2017 is the standout moment and definitely the high point.”
Last game was great feeling
When asked to reflect on standout games during his Buckie career, Wood pinpoints his final competitive appearance for the club.
That was in November last year as the Jags, who were reduced to 10 men in the first half, dramatically defeated Broxburn Athletic on penalties in the Scottish Cup third round, which led to a meeting with Celtic at Parkhead.
Wood said: “In terms of games that stand out the Broxburn game in the Scottish Cup last year is probably the one.
“That’s maybe the best feeling I’ve had in football, we equalised in the last minute of normal time and the last minute of extra-time before winning it on penalties.
“That was such a great feeling and it was the only minutes I had last season, playing half an hour of extra-time.
“It’s something I’ll never forget and for a last competitive appearance for Buckie it was a good way to finish.
“It means a lot to me to receive a testimonial. It’s a good way to go out and gives me an opportunity to say goodbye to the fans and everyone at the club.”
