Picture special: Buckie Thistle beat Dyce Juniors and bring in two signings ahead of Aberdeenshire Cup quarter-final against Aberdeen
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BUCKIE Thistle will return to competitive action this weekend with two new signings on board.
Jags host a young Aberdeen team in the quarter-finals of last season’s Aberdeenshire Cup, which wasn’t completed because of the pandemic.
Manager Graeme Stewart has completed the signing of trial striker Adam MacLeod on a two-year deal.
And taking on some of his old Dons’ team-mates will be midfielder Max Barry, who has penned a short-term contract with Buckie hoping to impress clubs at SPFL level, where he is eager to play next term.
Stewart rates both players highly, but said patience will be required with MacLeod, who has been out of Highland League football for some time and will need time to adjust to the step-up.
“Adam’s done really well since he’s come in on trial but he is still trying to get up to the pace and sharpness of our level,” said Stewart. “He’s played juniors for a wee while now so getting him up to Highland League level will take a bit of time, but he’s definitely going to be an asset to Buckie.
“He’s got a bit of class, a good touch, he can score, he’s strong and has the right mentality, so I’m pleased to get him on board.
“Max has signed a short term contract, so we’ve got him for a month. We are delighted with that but, for his sake, he wants to play at a higher level and he’s definitely good enough to play there. He’s absolutely class, he doesn’t give the ball away, he’s got a goal and an assist in him, very composed and an all-round midfielder.
“We like him a lot and he fits in well with the team.”
Stewart also signed previous loan capture Jack Murray, defender Lewis Dunbar and returning goalkeeper Kevin Main earlier this year, and says he is happy with his squad for the season but wouldn’t rule out further transfer activity.
“I always like to strengthen during the season, things can come up with injuries or people moving on or you think, if you can get one player in a certain area, it can strengthen your chances of winning the league. So right now I’m really happy but if we go 10, 15 games in and think there’s one player who can push us on, then we will definitely try and get him in.”
The Buckie boss is happy with the way his team has responded to a surprise 4-1 home loss to Banks O’ Dee in their first pre-season outing. Since then they have beaten Culter 2-0, Islavale 7-0 and Dyce Juniors 3-1 on Saturday, with Sam Urquhart scoring twice and Scott Adams also on target.
“I was maybe hard on the boys after the Banks O’ Dee game but that’s my job.
“Since then there has been a reaction, and in every game there has been an improvement. Against Dyce in the first half it was as good as we have played. There was maybe a drop-off in the second half but that’s to be expected when we had three or four boys who aren’t 100 per cent fit yet. Overall its definitely going on an upward curve and we want that to continue.”
Jags should have a full squad available on Saturday.
