Stevie Dunn is raring to go for Strathspey Thistle in tonight’s league game against Deveronvale at Seafield Park, having feared his playing days were over.
The 43-year-old is expected to make his Jags debut in goal against Ally Macleod’s Vale and, after resigning as Lossiemouth manager earlier this month, become the oldest player in the Highland League.
Dunn suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Lossie two years ago prior to his appointment as the club’s manager. He opted to concentrate on management after taking charge at Grant Park in early 2013.
Dunn said: “I thought it was the anterior cruciate ligament, which would have been me finished, but it turned out it was my posterior cruciate ligament instead.
“That was two years ago and a lot of people can play on with the injury.
“I’ve been training quite hard recently with no ill effects.
“I had stopped playing when I took the Lossie job as I couldn’t do both.
“That’s when I decided to hang up my gloves and concentrate on managing. That changed when I left Lossiemouth and it gave me the chance to play again so I just went for it.
“I had registered myself at Lossie as we were down to one goalkeeper, so I would have been ready if I had to come on. I had to keep preparing for matches so I started training again before Strathspey manager Brian Grant phoned me to see if I would be keen to play.”
Dunn has been reunited with fellow stopper Kyle Robertson, who played under him at Lossie, and reckons the youngster will bounce back after a difficult start to the season. He said: “Kyle has been a bit down after the last few games. I’ve told him he has to train hard to prove to people he can do it.
“He is a very good goalkeeper and it does come down to confidence.
“If you make a mistake, you can’t dwell on that. The next game is the most important thing, you can’t let your head go down.”