Kinlochshiel’s Paul MacRae thought he would never get the chance to experience a Camanachd Cup final.
The 40-year-old, who is in his 25th season with Shiel, will finally get his chance in the club’s first-ever Camanachd final when they face Lovat at Mossfield Park in Oban this Saturday.
MacRae has been playing for Shiel since before some of his teammates were born, including 16-year-old substitutes Archie MacRae and Arran Jack.
He said: “There were times I thought I’d never get the chance to play in a Camanachd final.
“But good, younger lads coming through have energised ‘oldies’ like me and has helped the team make great progress.
“This match is all anyone in our area can talk about this week but Lovat are a fine side and I think it’ll be a hard, closely-fought affair.”
Craig Mainland, who has played Highland League football for Lossiemouth, Strathspey Thistle and Fort William, lines up in his fourth final for Lovat but his first without twin brother Martin.
The 30-year-old defender said: “Martin has a broken hand and it’ll seem strange to not have him, alongside me on such a big occasion.
“I plan to switch back to football once shinty finishes next month, but first I want that second Camanachd winners’ medal.
“Both teams are extremely handy up front and it’ll be a question of which defence does best against the opposing forwards.”
Lovat, cup winners in 1953 and 2015, have formidable firepower in the shape of Marc MacLachlan, Greg Matheson, Fraser Heath and Lewis Tawse to put Conor Cormack and the Reds’ rearguard under searching examination.
Shiel’s history makers also have plenty of goal power via Jordan Fraser, brothers Keith and John MacRae and Ally Nixon.
This Saturday 18th September it’s the 2021 @tulloch_homes Camanachd Cup Final! Grab your tickets online now to watch Scotland’s true national sport live in Oban 🏆
🎟 Entry: Tickets are still available online at https://t.co/1BvSTKjBam pic.twitter.com/QVyq9nroAS— Shinty (@camanachd) September 15, 2021
The suspended Lorne MacKay is a big miss for Lovat but Heath’s semi-final sorcery in beating Kingussie shows he is the main menace to Shiel – just as the Black and Whites could find a firing-on-all-cylinders Fraser, fulfilling his potential after a lockdown fitness drive, the major threat.
The big game, which is live on BBC Alba at 2.10 pm, will be refereed by a Skye man, John Angus Gillies, a substitute in the islanders’ 1990 Camanachd triumph.