Lachie MacLeod of Banks o’ Dee and Huntly’s Angus Grant are thrilled they will have the opportunity to star in the Evening Express Aberdeenshire Cup final.
The sides meet in the showpiece fixture on Sunday at Harlaw Park in Inverurie (2pm kick-off).
Strikers MacLeod and Grant are important assets for their clubs and have overcome injury issues to be ready to go in this weekend’s Shire Cup final.
MacLeod’s troubles have come in recent times, while for north football’s top scorer Grant the early part of his Black and Golds career was derailed by a long-term setback.
MacLeod back just in time
This term Dee’s MacLeod has had to battle an ankle injury and a nerve problem that left him struggling to walk.
The 26-year-old wasn’t sure if he would be available for the final, but has featured in Dee’s last two games, which included starting and scoring against Nairn County last weekend.
MacLeod said: “I got my ankle injury against Aberdeen in the SPFL Trust Trophy at the start of the season.
“It was just a ligament thing, then against Rothes (on October 12) I got some kind of nerve problem which was giving me pain.
“The day after I could hardly walk so it wasn’t something where I could rush back.
“It was even awkward trying to sleep and things like that. I could hardly bend forward to put shoes on so I lived in sliders for about a fortnight.
“When it first happened we weren’t sure how long it would take, but the aim was to be ready to feature in some way in the final.
“Getting some game time in the last couple of games has been a bonus as well.
“I wasn’t sure if I would get that because there are a lot of good players that could keep me out of the side. Playing 70 minutes and scoring against Nairn last weekend was a good step forward.”
Grant in form of his life
Huntly talisman Grant has been in scintillating form this season, netting 21 times in all competitions.
The 26-year-old arrived at Christie Park in 2021 and in August of that year ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament.
That meant Grant missed the remainder of 2021-22 season and most of the following campaign as he recovered from surgery.
However, last term was more positive as Grant netted 13 goals and this season he has reached new heights ahead of his first cup final at Breedon Highland League level.
He added: “These are the games you want to play in, you put in years of hard work and dedication to play in big games and they don’t come much bigger than this.
“It was a very long slog for me coming back from injury, it’s games like this that you do it for.
“There were a lot of hours in the gym and a lot of down days, but it’s all worth it when you get opportunities like this.
“Huntly as a club have done so much for me, it’s good to get into these positions and I’d like to repay the club’s faith in me.
“As a club Huntly has a rich history, but we haven’t had any recent success and this is a chance to put that right and bring some silverware back to Huntly.
“This season I’m playing better than I ever have and hopefully with us heading into a final my form continues.”
Trophy traditions
Huntly last won a trophy in October 2007 and haven’t lifted the Aberdeenshire Cup for quarter of a century, but Grant believes they have what it takes to end that wait.
He said: “We’re confident within ourselves that on our day we can beat anyone and we’ve shown that last season and this season.
“With the quality we’ve got in the changing room we want to be challenging and hopefully winning these competitions.”
In recent years, both in the juniors and since stepping up to the Highland League in 2022, Banks o’ Dee have regularly won trophies.
MacLeod joined the Aberdeen outfit in 2016 and added: “For as long as I’ve been at Banks o’ Dee winning things has been important.
“I think we’ve proved that we’re a good cup team and winning cups season upon season is a massive thing which hopefully we can continue.”
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