Co-manager Jordon Brown believes Aaron Reid and Conner Duthie are statement signings for Peterhead.
Reid joined the Dons in January after a sparkling spell at Turriff United in the Breedon Highland League where he scored 17 goals during the first half of the season.
During the second half of the campaign, the 19-year-old was farmed out to Elgin City and scored four times as he helped the Black and Whites stay in League Two.
Brown, who is joint-Blue Toon boss alongside Ryan Strachan, is looking forward to seeing what Reid can do at Balmoor.
He said: “Aaron’s got lots of great attributes.
“He’s still a young player, but he’s a big lad with good strength and physicality.
“He’s shown he knows where the goal is, and that was clear for anybody who watched him in his time at Turriff.
“Then at Elgin – in a difficult situation where there was pressure on them – he contributed goals to help them stay in the league.
“He’s a full-time player who’s made it clear that he wants to come and play games for us, which is great.
“We had a meeting with Neil Simpson (Aberdeen’s player pathways manager) and he’s been very good to deal with, and we’ve managed to act quickly with Aaron who’s a player I’m sure was in demand.
“The top end of the pitch was an area we were looking at, because, before signing Aaron, Kieran Shanks was the only out-and-out striker we had.
“I think it’s a good statement for the club to be able to get a player like Aaron.”
Commitment from new recruit Duthie
Meanwhile, Duthie boasts plenty of SPFL experience having played for Clyde, Dumbarton, Stenhousemuir, Forfar, Dunfermline and Hibs.
He was limited to 16 appearances for the Bully Wee during the recently-finished season following surgery, but Brown believes he can make a major impact at Balmoor.
He added: “Conner can play on either flank or through the middle.
“We’ve had him watched and we’ve played against him a few times.
Welcome to Peterhead Conner Duthie 🔵⚪💙
Peterhead FC are pleased to announce that we have agreed terms for the signing of winger Conner Duthie from Clyde FC on a one-year contract.
The 26-year-old has previously been at Hibernian, Dunfermline Athletic, Stenhousemuir,… pic.twitter.com/Vx3bNuRkz9
— Peterhead FC (@pfcofficial) June 15, 2023
“His season was a bit hampered and I think that impacted on the Clyde team.
“After our struggles last season, we can’t have enough players in our team that can chip in with goals and he’s definitely one we feel can improve us in the forward areas.
“He’s got good experience at this level and it’s hard to get that.
“It’s hard to get these guys to commit to coming to Peterhead and the travel that comes with it.
“Conner had a few options in the central belt, but he’s chosen to come to us, so we’re delighted.”
Positive summer business so far for Peterhead
Reid and Duthie take Peterhead’s summer signing tally to seven following the arrivals of Robert Ward, Scott Ross, Kieran Shanks, Kieran Gibbons and Joe McKee.
Brown is pleased with the business they’ve managed to do as their squad starts to take shape ahead of their League Cup opener at home to Partick Thistle on July 15.
He said: “Myself and Ryan have been very determined and it’s helped having the two of us because we’ve been able to cover more ground in a sense.
“The contacts and discussions we’ve had with folk have been really good.
“There have been some we haven’t managed to get over the line, which is frustrating – especially if you’ve been waiting for a few weeks on these players.
“But overall we’re delighted with what we’ve got on board.”
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