Captain’s View

It is an honour to get this opportunity to pay tribute to Stuart McKenzie, who is without doubt one of the greatest players in the 100 year history of Cove Rangers. You could argue he is THE greatest ever!

The fact he is now the club’s joint most decorated player - alongside the equally legendary Eric Watson - underlines that. I’m happy to risk the wrath of Eric by claiming Stuart edges him out as Cove’s most successful player ever, because his last two medals were claimed at SPFL level, when he helped us win the League Two and League One titles.

He is also among the leaders when it comes to the most appearances; his record at Cove Rangers is unrivalled. Stuart’s roll of honour at Highland League level, which includes five title triumphs, was impressive enough. But backing that up by playing a key part in two championship wins inside three years in the SPFL highlights just how talented a goalkeeper he is.

He has kept the most clean sheets in each of the three seasons played since we were promoted from the Highland League. Before I proceed, I would like to claim a wee bit of the credit for that. Ahead of every season, Stuart and I have a private competition to see if I can score more league goals than he gets clean sheets.

He ran me pretty close last season with 17 shut-outs, while I finished up with 18 league goals. But I happily conceded defeat to Stuart because he also scored that vital winning goal, away to Peterhead, at the turn of the year.

Stuart is no stranger to finding the net, he has also scored a few penalties during my time at Cove. One game that sticks out was when he saved two penalties and then scored the winner when we came out on top in a shoot-out away to Brora Rangers in a cup tie! But it’s Stuart’s ability between the sticks that has made him a club legend.

Unlike some of the goalkeepers I have played with, Stuart isn’t one for shouting and screaming at team-mates to get things done. He is very much the quiet man of our squad, but Stuart’s actions speak louder than his words. His stature ensures he is a commanding presence in our defence, and it would be impossible to count how many times he has pulled off amazing - and what have ended up being crucial - saves in games.

Another asset of Stuart’s is his kick-outs. As the Peterhead keeper found out to his cost in January, his clearances up the park are massive and cause all sorts of problems for opponents. While we are proud to be recognised as a passing team, it’s good we have Stuart’s kick-outs to use a more direct weapon when the opportunity arises.

It’s fantastic that Stuart’s contribution to Cove’s success over the last decade has been recognised with today’s testimonial match against Dunfermline Athletic. Hopefully we can make it day to remember for Stuart and his family.

Mitch Megginson