Andrew MacAskill is pleased he’s back in contention for Buckie Thistle’s clash with Celtic – but knows he isn’t guaranteed to play.
The midfielder has been a talisman for the Jags in recent years, but broke his right arm in their Scottish Cup second round win against Forres Mechanics at the end of October.
MacAskill, 31, has returned to training in recent weeks and made his first appearance since the injury as a substitute in last weekend’s win against Huntly.
During his absence Thistle were victorious in five of the six games they played and MacAskill knows there are no guarantees he’ll get straight back into Graeme Stewart’s side.
MacAskill said: “My arm feels good and I feel strong. With the nature of the injury I was able to do plenty of running and strength and conditioning work while I had the cast on.
“I got the cast off before Christmas and I’ve had a few training sessions now so I feel I’m back and ready to go.
"I'm not mad" 🕷
Can @BuckieThistle shock @CelticFC in the @ScottishCup this weekend?
Watch our 10-min big game build-up – plus @InverurieLocos v @brorarangers and @lossiemouthfc v @banksodee_fc highlights – on this week's #HighlandLeagueWeekly:https://t.co/j01oED7CFq pic.twitter.com/Ra1W7VACbI
— Highland League Weekly (@HighlandLW) January 16, 2024
“The tie hasn’t sped things up or slowed things down in terms of coming back.
“I was desperate to get back for the Formartine game on January 6 (which was postponed) because that was a big game for us.
“The Celtic game is one I’ve been aware of, but I want to be involved in all the games really.
“I feel like I’m ready, but the team has been doing well and nobody should just walk back in.”
Day to savour
MacAskill is keeping his feet on the ground when it comes to the prospect of Buckie shock Celtic this Sunday.
But he wants to enjoy the occasion and added: “It’s very exciting, it’s a once in a lifetime kind of thing. The whole excitement of the Scottish Cup every season is because there’s the possibility of ties like this.
“When it comes around you’ve got to enjoy it, we won’t experience it again so we want to make the most of it.
“If we were to win it would be the biggest shock in the history of global football to be honest.
“We’re realistic about our chances, but we want to enjoy it and we do want to show that we’re good players.”
