Allen Mackenzie hopes Strathspey Thistle can stay in the Breedon Highland League – but the Rothes midfielder won’t be showing them any mercy tonight.
The Speysiders host the bottom of the table Grantown Jags at Mackessack Park.
Strathspey could face a relegation play-off at the end of the season, Aviemore-based Mackenzie is a former Thistle player and hopes his local club survives.
But he won’t be looking to do them any favours this evening with Rothes aiming to close the gap on sixth-place Inverurie Locos to one point.
Mackenzie, 32, who signed a contract extension until 2026 at the weekend, said: “Strathspey is a club I have a soft spot for being from the area and I used to play for them as well.
“They’ve got a great set-up, I hope Strathspey can stay in the league, I wouldn’t want to see my local club go down.
“But for us it would be good for us to try to put a run together.
“We’re here to push up the league and try to win as many games as we can.
“We didn’t have the start to the season we would have liked and we won’t be pulling any punches against Strathspey because we want to get up the league.”
Hard work key for Jags
Robert MacCormack will take charge of Strathspey for the first time after Saturday’s clash with Huntly was postponed.
He added: “We’re looking for an honest performance from all the players.
“Every player knows what’s expected of them, we need to work as hard as we can with and without the ball.
“We need to match the opposition’s work-rate and go from there.
“Rothes are a very good and well-organised team. They’ll be good going forward and hard to break down.
“It will be a very difficult game for us and a big challenge, but we need to look forward to these challenges.”
✍️ TRANSFER NEWS ✍️
Elgin City FC’s Chris Antoniazzi joins Banks o’ Dee FC on loan until the end of the season.
Josh Winton and Paul Lawson said: “Chris is joining the club ahead of a busy period of games and will give us a lot of flexibility over the next few months.” pic.twitter.com/ai3gx6BI78
— Banks O' Dee FC (@banksodee_fc) February 21, 2023
Elsewhere Lossiemouth face Banks o’ Dee in the Highland League for the first time at Grant Park.
Banks o’ Dee could hand a debut to midfielder Chris Antoniazzi who has joined on loan from Elgin City for the rest of the season.
Dean Stewart and Jared Kennedy are still out for the Coasters, Neale Allan, Kyle Willox and Marc Young remain sidelined for Dee.
