Blair Lawrie believes the future is bright for Clachnacuddin as he hangs up his boots following 17 seasons at Grant Street Park.
Lawrie signed for the Inverness outfit in the summer of 2005 after leaving Ross County.
He switched to Elgin City in January 2011 before returning to Clach in the summer of 2012, where he has remained ever since.
During that period Lawrie helped the Lilywhites win the GPH Builders Merchants Highland League Cup.
Explaining his reasons for retiring and looking back at some of the highlights, the 36-year-old said: “I haven’t been playing as much.
“We’ve got one of the youngest squads in the league and they’ve been playing and developing really well.
“It’s been great to watch them, but it’s been to my detriment in terms of minutes.
“I’ve spent 17 years with Clach and it felt like the right time to hang my boots up and let the youngsters take the club forward.
“There’s been loads of highlights. In 2012-13, we ran the likes of Cove and Formartine close for the league until the last five or six games when injuries and suspensions caught up with us and we fell away.
“We finished fifth, and that season we had some unbelievable players who have gone on to have great Highland League careers.
“Iain Polworth got manager of the year that year as well, which shows what an achievement it was when you consider the budget we had in comparison with the sides we competed with.
“The other major highlight was winning the Highland League Cup in 2014, that was another special season.
“The fans still look back to it because it’s the last trophy we won.”
Talented squad at Clach
Lawrie reckons the young Clach squad Jordan MacDonald has built will continue to improve if they stick together.
The Lilywhites finished 13th in the Breedon Highland League this term, and Lawrie added: “The future is definitely bright.
“I said to the boys after the game on Saturday, in terms of young players in a squad in my career at any club I’ve been at, this group of boys are the most talented for their age that I’ve played with.
“It’s just about getting experience and I really hope they stay at Clach and gain that experience – rather than moving on too early and not getting the games they need.
“Clach’s a great place for young boys to play and the way Jordan MacDonald wants to play, getting the ball down, makes it a great place to learn.”
One last Grant Street Park appearance for Lawrie with testimonial
Lawrie will make one final appearance at Grant Street Park.
Today marked the end of @lillylawrie playing career as he played his final game for the club. Originally signed by Robbie Williamson in 2005, Blair has been an outstanding player for our club.
On behalf of every single Clach supporter, we would just like to say
Thank You. pic.twitter.com/ApiN1rqnYJ— Inverness Clachnacuddin FC (@clachfc) April 22, 2023
This season he has been celebrating his testimonial year, the culmination of which will be a game in the summer.
He said: “It’s nice to have been given a testimonial by the club and it’s been great having things throughout the season.
“There’s still a game to be played in the summer, which we’re hoping to have organised fairly soon.”
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