John Sheran Feature

JOHN SHERAN

John Sheran rates Stuart McKenzie so highly as a goalkeeper he signed him not once, but twice, for Cove Rangers.

Former manager - and now Director of Football - John is the man who first brought a then teenage Stuart to Cove way back in 2008, when we were still based at Allan Park, and playing in the Highland League.

John then left the club but when he returned in 2014 one of the first moves he made was to bring Stuart, who was by then playing at SPFL level with Montrose, back to Cove.

“I did that because Stuart is without doubt the best goalkeeper I worked with at Cove,” said John, who remained as team manager before being succeeded by Paul Hartley in 2019. That’s not something I say lightly because I was fortunate to work with some very high calibre keepers during my two spells as manager.

Raymond Charles, to give you just one example, was also a fantastic goalkeeper - and underlined that by then becoming the coach who helped to develop Stuart when he first came to us. But Stuart’s record of success - and commendable loyalty to the club - makes him the clear number one in my eyes. It’s why everyone at the club is delighted to see Stuart’s contribution over the years rewarded with the testimonial match against Dunfermline Athletic. It’s a deserved reward for all that Stuart has given - and is continuing to give - to our club.”

Stuart trained with Aberdeen as a youngster before heading north to join Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He then moved to Montrose and actually spent a brief spell on loan to Cove Rangers before John swooped, after learning Stuart had decided to leave Links Park.

John added: “Graham Park (the former Cove Rangers midfielder who also became assistant manager to John) is the one who deserves the credit for unearthing Stuart. His son, Daniel (who also played for Cove Rangers), had been at Inverness with Stuart, so Graham was well aware of him, and suggested we should have a look.

Lee Windrum was our first choice at that time, and we were keen to take in a younger keeper to act as his understudy.

One look at Stuart was enough to convince us he was the right man for the job. He was really impressive from the off and within about two months he had taken the top spot off Lee and was never out of the team after that.

That was despite the fact Stuart was a lot quieter than I preferred my goalkeepers to be. I gave him a bit of leeway because he was so young at the time, but he has never really changed; it’s just the way Stuart prefers to go about his business.

He was even quieter back then than he is now, we had to constantly remind him of the need to speak a bit more to the players around him. It was never a huge problem though, because the strengths Stuart has totally overshadowed everything else.

He commands through his physical attributes rather than his voice, and has so many other outstanding qualities that made him stand out from all the other keepers I worked with.

Stuart was always a big lad, but worked hard to bulk up, and has the stature any manager would love to see his goalkeeper have.

His kicking is also something else - there are keepers at the top level who don’t come close to matching him when it comes to distance and accuracy. He also has safe hands, an obvious asset if you want to be successful as a goalkeeper.

Another strength is the fact you will never see Stuart getting in a flap. There could be bedlam in the penalty area, but time and time again you see Stuart calming things down by grabbing the ball and standing as if he was out for a wee stroll. That is an important thing for a goalkeeper because how they deal with difficult situations can inspire confidence in the players around them.

I’ve said all of that before even mentioning Stuart’s shot stopping - from the first game he has been pulling off astonishing saves, more often than not at crucial stages. That was often overlooked because, particularly when we were in the Highland League, we won a lot of games pretty comfortably.

There were countless occasions when Stuart ensured we were able to go on to do that by pulling off unbelievable saves when it was still 0-0.”

Stuart helped Cove Rangers win five Highland League titles and a host of cup competitions before the club made the step up to the SPFL in 2019. The League One and League Two champions medals he has since collected brought his trophy haul to an astonishing fourteen, and helped Stuart join former captain Eric Watson as the joint most decorated player in the history of Cove Rangers.

John said: “There was never any doubt in my mind that Stuart would continue his run of success after we left the Highland League.

By the time we brought him back all of our minds were already focussed on building a squad that would be capable of making it up to the SPFL if the opportunity arose. He had Scottish League experience by then, so was the obvious choice. I actually tried to bring Stuart back the year before, but he was still contracted to Montrose, and they wouldn’t let him leave.

We had to wait until his contract ran out, but were happy to do that because we knew he was the right man to help the club achieve what it wanted to achieve.”

As well as claiming two titles in three seasons, Stuart has also recorded the most clean sheets in the three SPFL league campaigns to date, and he was named in the SPFL League One team of the year in 2021 and 22, accolades John feels are richly deserved. “Stuart has done that because he has been able to up his standards every year. He has worked with different coaches, which will have added layers to what he is able to do. Stuart is also gaining experience with each passing season, and I actually believe the best has still to come from him.

The fact we now have Kyle Gourlay, a keeper with Premiership experience, competing for the top spot is also good for Stuart. His record shows he has always maintained very high standards, but knowing Kyle is there desperate to play as well, will help keep him focused.

Playing in the Championship for the first time in the season ahead is also a massive positive for Stuart. It will be tough, we all accept that, but as I’ve said before it won’t faze Stuart because he has faced huge challenges before and taken them in his stride. The good thing about goalkeepers is the older they get, they better they seem to get.

Even at the age of 34, Stuart will be thinking he could still be the main man for another four of five years, maybe even longer. I would never rule that out because he really looks after himself. Stuart simply doesn’t have a wild side, he is a good, and quiet, family man, who works hard to take care of his wife and children, and also puts the same effort into the other thing he loves doing, which is playing for Cove Rangers.”