Brora Rangers captain Jordan MacRae is disappointed he will miss the rest of the season – but has thanked the people chipping in to help get him back on the pitch.
Aside from a couple of cameo substitute appearances the striker hasn’t featured for the Cattachs since mid-October after dislocating his shoulder on multiple occasions.
MacRae is set to get an operation next week, but will miss the rest of the campaign as Brora chase glory in the Breedon Highland League and R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup.
The 26-year-old said: “I’ve had my date for getting surgery which is Monday and the recovery is four months.
“Unfortunately that means I’ll miss the end of the season which is disappointing.
“It’s quite gutting to know I won’t be back until next season, especially with how well we’ve been doing this season.
“You don’t really feel part of things the same when you’re just watching the boys.
“The first game I missed was the North of Scotland Cup final and that was gutting and we’ve got the chance to get to another cup final and win the league so it’s tough to take.
“But it happens in football and there’s people who have been through a lot worse than me so I shouldn’t complain.
“Brora have been fantastic with it all and organising everything and it will be good to get it sorted.”
Help much appreciated by MacRae
MacRae’s treatment is set to cost £10,000 and as a result Brora have set up a crowdfunder to allow supporters to contribute and help cover some of the expense.
The player is grateful to the people that have supported the cause as he tries to get back on the pitch.
MacRae added: “The crowdfunder is just to help recoup some of the costs because it’s a very costly process.
“I think it’s a good idea and I can understand why lots of clubs go down this route with things like this.
“Anybody that’s willing to help is greatly appreciated and so far I’ve been really pleased at how many people have got in touch and have contributed and want to see me get back to fitness.
“I know a lot of people don’t like asking people for help or asking for money and things like that and I’m the same.
“But if it can help me get back to playing football, scoring goals for Brora and helping the club push for trophies then it’s a good thing.
“It’s nice people have chipped in and I really appreciate the support I’ve had.”
Keith game off
Meanwhile, Wednesday night’s scheduled Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield quarter-final between Keith and Fraserburgh was postponed due to frost.
It’s the fifth time the clash at Kynoch Park has been called off because of wintry weather. The tie is now set to be played on Wednesday February 5.
Lossie pals aiming for shutout success
Lewis McAndrew hopes his friendship with James Leslie can provide Lossiemouth with a solid foundation for the rest of the season.
The duo, who have both recently signed contract extensions, helped the Coasters to their first win since September last Saturday against Strathspey Thistle.
That 2-0 victory was only Lossie’s third clean sheet of the campaign and centre-back McAndrew – who netted the opening goal against the Grantown Jags – insists they need to build on that.
He hopes his defensive partnership with club captain Leslie can be key to improving their shutout record.
McAndrew, 23, said: “I was happy to score because it doesn’t happen often, but I was more pleased with the clean sheet because that’s what I’m there to do as a defender.
“If you keep a clean sheet you’re not going to lose games so hopefully we can keep doing that.
“Myself and James have got a good relationship. We’re good pals, it’s magic to play with him and hopefully we can keep a few more clean sheets.
“Playing with James is great and we have a lot of craic and we’re always winding each other up.
“We’re trying to build for the future at Lossie and there are a lot of good things going on behind the scenes that people don’t see.
“Hopefully that continues and we can continue to move forward on the pitch as well.”
Coasters don’t want to contemplate being bottom
Lossie are four points clear of bottom of the table Strathspey having played two games more.
With a relegation play-off now a possibility for the club that finishes 18th McAndrew is determined to help the Coasters stave off that threat.
He added: “You never know what would happen if the club was to finish bottom and potentially go down.
“It’s something you don’t want to contemplate, but when you’re down near the bottom you have to keep an eye on it.
“We need to scrap and grind out results. It’s always in your head when you’re on a bad run and we’ve been low on confidence.
“But we’ve always felt if we kept working hard enough we’d get what we deserved and I think we got that last Saturday.”
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