Magnus Watson will be returning to the scene of his career highlight when Banks o’ Dee face Fraserburgh in the semi-final of the R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup.
The sides clash at Bellslea on Friday night and winger Watson is thankful he’s back in the Aberdeen outfit’s squad after a lengthy spell out injured.
A quad problem had kept the 22-year-old sidelined since the early months of last season, but he returned to action last month and has made a couple of appearances as a substitute.
Watson was the hero the last time Dee played a Highland League Cup tie at Bellslea, scoring the winning goal in the final against Inverurie Locos in April 2023.
Injury was hard to shake off
Reflecting on his time out injured, he said: “It’s really good to be back involved in the squad.
“I had a quad injury which I struggled to overcome. It took me quite a while to shake off the problem, but thankfully it seems to be all sorted and I’m feeling good again.
“I was maybe trying to come back too quickly and I wasn’t getting anywhere.
“So I had a longer rest period away from football and I managed to get on to the right rehabilitation programme and it’s paid off.
“It’s always a thought in your mind when you’re having setbacks: ‘Is it really worth it?’
“But I was always determined to get back playing. I enjoy being at the club and being part of the squad so that wasn’t something I was going to give up easily.
“The club has been great with me, they’ve helped me a lot.
“They got me on the right rehabilitation programme. They’ve paid for me to go and see certain specialists and they’ve done all they can.
“The club also gave me the time out to rest and recover properly – I can’t thank Banks o’ Dee enough for what they’ve done for me.”
Returning to a happy hunting ground
Watson looks back fondly on the Highland League Cup final Banks o’ Dee won at Bellslea and he’s determined to try to get past Fraserburgh and secure their place in this season’s showpiece.
He added: “Playing in a Highland League Cup game at Fraserburgh does throw up a good memory for me.
“Getting the winner in that final against Inverurie is something I’ll always remember – it’s the highlight of my career so far.
“This semi-final will be a tough game, but hopefully it goes our way.
“If I’m involved, I’ll try to help the team in any way I can. These are the big games you want to be involved in.
“But regardless of whether I feature I’d be happy to see the team get through to another final, so hopefully we can get the job done.”
Broch’s McKay set for day to remember
Friday is set to be a busy day for Fraserburgh’s Flynn McKay as he attempts to help his club and country to significant successes.
The Fraserburgh Academy pupil is one of three north players – along with Isaac Blanksby of Cults Academy and Grantown Grammar School’s Torran Lambie – in the Scotland Schoolboys’ squad for the opening Centenary Shield fixture against England in Greenock (1pm kick-off).
After that game is finished, midfielder McKay, 18, will make the 215-mile journey north from Cappielow to Bellslea – and is hoping to arrive in time to be involved in the Broch’s R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup semi-final tie against Banks o’ Dee (8pm kick-off).
Fraserburgh manager Mark Cowie “It’s great for the town, the school and the club that Flynn’s involved at national level.
“He’ll learn a lot from the experience and hopefully he can put that to good use with us.
“At this moment in time he’s going to be part of the squad and he’s going to do his best to get up the road in time.
“If he doesn’t manage then so be it, but we’d never stop him from playing at that level for Scotland.
“If he can get up to Fraserburgh in time, he’ll be in the squad and I’d have no hesitation in using Flynn.
“He’s a valued member of our squad and the fact he’s willing to be involved in the Scotland game and then come up to our game shows you his character and his attitude.
“He loves the club and he loves football.
“The Scotland game will be a great occasion for Flynn and hopefully he can come up and be part of our group and help us get into a final as well.”
Tough calls will have to be made
Fraserburgh have a full squad available for Friday’s tie, and having rotated his team in recent weeks, Cowie admits he has a selection dilemma.
He added: “I do have a bit of a selection headache. We’ve been chopping and changing a lot recently, because we’ve been playing a lot of midweek games.
“But I’d say nine times out of 10 at Fraserburgh there’s a headache because we’ve got a good squad.
“We’ve got competition for places, which is healthy. I’ve been doing the job long enough to know that tough decisions need to be made in games like this, but we need to trust our selection.
“We’re in a good place, but this will be a very tough game. Banks o’ Dee are one of the best sides in the league, they’ve got an array of talent and have got some very experienced pros in their ranks.
“But it will be up to our lads to try to lay down a marker and see how good they are against those experienced players.”
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