McKenzie Q&A

THE Man of the moment

We turn the spotlight on man-of-themoment Stuart McKenzie for an exclusive look back over his career in football.

What has been the biggest highlight? How did he feel when we lost to that infamous goal down at Cowdenbeath? Who has been the favourite of all of his Cove Rangers team-mates? What is the secret behind his amazing kick-outs?

Stuart reveals all in a wide ranging interview with our media officer Charlie Allan. Had you always dreamed about playing as a goalkeeper at the top level?

Not at all, when I started playing for Cornhill Primary School and Cornhill Boys Club, I was a centre-half.

Our keeper was unavailable one week, so I volunteered to take over and discovered I loved it.

By the time I joined Albion Boys Club my heart was set on playing at the highest level as I possibly could as a goalkeeper.

Is it true you were once on the radar of Aberdeen?

I was invited to train with them when I was aged about thirteen. I’m a Dons fan, so it was a thrill to get some coaching from club legend Jim Leighton.

Ryan Eason, who was in the first team at that time, also took some sessions.

Unfortunately, the Dons never actually made an offer to sign me, which was disappointing. Who was it that eventually gave you the chance to play at the top level?

Elgin City were the first to show a proper interest, via a skills seeker programme that was run by them, when Kenny Black was involved at the club. Kenny then left Elgin and they didn’t follow things up, so I was delighted to get the offer of a trial with Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Myself, Iain Vigurs, Gary Wood and Jamie Ralph were all invited up north at the same time. I was with Inverness for about eighteen months, but it was clear I wasn’t going to get the chance to play as often as I would like, so I jumped at the opportunity to then sign for Montrose.

What was the highlight of that first spell at Allan Park?

That’s easy, winning the Highland League in my first season. There was a lot of talk about it being almost impossible for Cove Rangers to win back-to-back titles, but we had a great team and clinched it with a 1-0 victory up at Wick.

I’ve been fortunate to win a few things with Cove, but that title win will always be special because it was the first time I had been a league champion. How did things go during that second spell at Links Park?

I was delighted to finally get a fairer crack at it. I played in every game the first season, when we just missed out on reaching the promotion play-offs. I also played in the majority the next season, in which we struggled, and only stayed up in League Two by beating Brora Rangers in a play-off.

John Sheran then asked if I would like to link up with him again at Cove Rangers and I just knew it was the right move for me.

Why did you choose to return to Montrose in 2013?

I just felt I had a point to prove. It wasn’t that I was unhappy at Cove Rangers. We had just won the league again by beating Formartine United out at Pitmedden on the final day. That was another huge highlight from my career.

We had only just managed to beat Rothes the week before, but when we heard Formartine had lost to leave us with a chance of pipping them to the title we were determined to take it.

Our performance that day was excellent, we were so focussed there was no chance of us not ending the day as champions. I enjoyed playing for Kevin Tindal, who was the manager by then, but when Montrose made their offer, I just felt I had some unfinished business, so accepted it. What was it that made you so keen to come back to Cove?

The fact John had also gone back was a huge part of it. He is a great manager who always got the best out of me. Cove making it clear their ambition was to eventually step up into the SPFL was also a factor.

As I have already said, my ambition since I was a child was to play at the highest level I possibly could, but stepping back down into the Highland League was never a problem because, like everyone else at the club seven years ago, I knew that would only be temporary.

There were disappointments along the way… how did you feel after losing to Cowdenbeath in the promotion playoffs in 2018, to a goal that was given after you had clearly been fouled?

It still hurts today to think about what happened to us down there. I’ve never been one to criticise match officials or opponents, so the most I’m willing to say is that what unfolded at Central Park was a total shambles. We were all very upset at the time, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise because we probably weren’t quite ready for the challenge of playing at SPFL level.

It also made us even more determined to win the Highland League again the next season and earn another crack at the promotion play-offs.

Stuart McKenzie and team after winning title v Formartine

How did you feel when we finally won promotion the following season?

Absolutely ecstatic. The bond between the players that season was unique, the best I have ever experienced in football. That close camaraderie helped us win the Highland League comfortably and also sail through both of our play-offs, against East Kilbride and Berwick Rangers.

We showed lessons had been learned from the previous year in the final. We absolutely battered Cowdenbeath in the first leg out at Inverurie and couldn’t believe that one ended 0-0. It gave them the chance to go on and win, which they did.

There was never any hope of the same happening against Berwick. We won the first game at Balmoral Stadium 4-0; we were brilliant that day! That meant we could go to their place a bit more relaxed, but we also remained fully focussed, and won that one 3-0 as well.

It was amazing knowing we had made history with Cove and finally taken the club to where they had been dreaming of for a number of years.

You have since won two more league titles to emerge as our joint most decorated player - with Eric Watson. How do you feel about that?

I’m very proud because Eric was a fantastic captain and is a close friend. It’s an honour to have won as many medals as him, but the bad news for Eric is I now have my sights set on picking up medal number fifteen! It won’t be easy because we are playing at the highest level Cove Rangers have ever been at. But there is no point in playing if you don’t set tough targets for yourself.

Do you have a favourite save from your career?

There have been a few, but one that stands out was when it was still only 1-0 in the play-off against East Kilbride. Their striker was through on goal, and I managed to get a toe to his shot to knock it wide. It was a big moment.

You also scored the winner at Peterhead last season, were you delighted with that?

Not too much at first because I believed Rory McAllister when he told he had actually touched the ball on the way in. It was clear when we watched the video later that never happened, and I had actually scored. I’ve managed to get a few over the years, mainly from penalties. But the fact that one won us three vital points in what was a very intense battle for the title, along with Airdrie, made that goal very special to me.

That goal came from one of your characteristic long kick-outs. Are they something you practice?

It’s something I have always been pretty good at, although I must give Mark Brown, who was the keeper at Inverness when I was there, some credit too. He asked if I wanted to stay back after training to practice kicking the ball, which also involved working on my weaker left foot. Thanks to those sessions, I now feel comfortable kicking the ball with either foot, which is important for goalkeepers nowadays.

Distribution from the back, from foot or hand, is a big part of the game now. It’s particularly crucial at Cove because we are a side who play possession football from the back, although it’s good that we have the ability to mix it up by going long too, when the opportunity arises.

Is it possible for you to pick out a favourite team-mate from all of those you have played with during your career?

It would be too difficult to choose just one, I have played alongside some really fantastic players.

I’m happy to give Eric another mention, he really was a brilliant defender and captain, and played a key role in the success I enjoyed at Highland League level. The same goes for Alan Redford; what a defender and competitor he was!

Connor Scully and Blair Yule are the other two I would pick out. The three of us have been on the journey with Cove Rangers for a lot of years and I admire how hard they have worked to keep improving as players, and how well they have performed since we made the step up to the SPFL. Jim McIntyre will be your manager in the season ahead, what are your thoughts on that?

The opportunity to play for Jim is something we are all excited about. He will be the fourth manager I’ve had at Cove Rangers. I worked under John Sheran twice, either side of a spell when Kevin Tindal was boss.

Paul Hartley, of course, was the man in charge for the last three seasons. I loved working with all of them and appreciated the faith they showed in me, and the huge parts they played in ensuring there have been so many highlights in my career.

I obviously know about Jim’s successful time as a manager. He will have his own ideas and I’m looking forward to learning about those, and to the challenge of proving I’m good enough to play for him.

Tell us a little about your life away from football.

I’m a full-time painter and decorator and my wife, Kimberley, and I have two children - Belle and Ben - who we absolutely adore.

Kimberley is an amazing woman and I’ve really appreciated the sacrifices she has made to allow me to spend so much time away from my family playing for Cove Rangers.

Stuart McKenzie’s testimonial events, which included a gala dinner and golf day, have been organised by Peterhead player-coach Jordon Brown - also a former team-mate at Cove Rangers - and Robbie Majury, his friend since childhood.

Jordon said: “We have appreciated the support given to us by sponsors, fans, and everyone else who has helped us celebrate Stuart’s career. I would also like to say thank you to Cove Rangers and Dunfermline Athletic for agreeing to take part in today’s testimonial match.”

The celebrations of Stuart’s career conclude with a Testimonial Race Night, which will take place in the Fan Zone at Balmoral Stadium, immediately after this afternoon’s game.