Peterhead have re-signed club legend Rory McAllister for an undisclosed fee from Montrose.
The 36-year-old striker had two previous spells with the Blue Toon with a loan stint during his time at Caley Thistle in 2008 before a highly successful period between 2011 and 2020, scoring 194 goals in 335 appearances.
He left Peterhead to join Cove Rangers in January 2020 before leaving Balmoral Stadium to join Montrose last summer during ex-manager Jim McIntyre’s time at the helm.
During his previous spell with the Buchan club, McAllister netted almost 200 goals, won League Two in 2014 and 2019, and reached the Scottish Challenge Cup final in 2016.
In April this year, the striker netted his 300th career goal which came from the penalty spot in Montrose’s 1-1 draw with FC Edinburgh.
He scored a total of 11 goals in 44 competitive appearances during his time at Links Park.
Peterhead co-manager Brown is delighted to bring McAllister back to the club, having played alongside the striker during his previous spell at Balmoor and their time together at Cove.
Brown said: “It’s well documented that we know Rory really well and we’re good friends.
“As soon as it became an opportunity it was a bit of a no-brainer.
“There’s credit to be given to the board and the chairman for making it happen and giving us the chance to work with Rory again.
“The fans will be delighted, and it’s something that will give the whole club a lift.
“Rory’s winning mentality will be massive. He has won pretty much everything there is to win at this level and has been a top player for so many years now.
“He fits the exact type of player we thought we were slightly short on up top.”
Brown backs McAllister to make impact at Balmoor
Brown has backed McAllister to hit the ground running at Peterhead, with the striker close to hitting the 200-goal milestone for the Blue Toon.
He added: “Rory is going to score goals until the day he stops playing.
“Even though he is a bit older than he was the last time he played for Peterhead, he played almost every game for Montrose last season and that’s in a higher league than we’re in at the moment.
“His performances will do the talking on the pitch. If there are milestones there for him to reach, then there is only one man who is going to go and do it.”
Kieran Shanks and Aaron Reid have led the line for Peterhead so far this season, and Brown believes the addition of McAllister will provide even more competition in attack.
He said: “We were looking for a number nine with experience to help the guys we’ve got.
“We’re so happy with the guys we’ve got in and (Kieran) Shanks is the main man at the moment for us and he will only learn and get better with Rory coming in – and it’s the same for young Aaron Reid.
“They’re all at different stages of their career, so we’re really excited for them to be working together.”
Montrose manager Stewart Petrie said: “Whilst this has been unexpected, and I appreciate the fans will be surprised with the news, I do believe it is the right move for both the club and Rory in the long term.
“Rory has given everything for us every time he has played, but having a young family has found the travelling to training twice a week difficult. We wish him every success for the future.”
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