Transfer News: Mack Is Back
Nairn County manager Les Fridge has reacted to his side's lack of goals in their last two outings by bringing a new forward to the club.
Former County man Lewis MacKinnon returns to Station Park after a three-and-a-half year absence and is likely to go straight into the squad for the visit of Brora Rangers next Saturday.
The 23-year-old has only just returned from a stint in Australia and Fridge acted quickly to secure the much-coveted utility man on a short-term contract.
The manager explained: "I got tipped off last week that he (MacKinnon) was coming back home in time for Christmas so I made plans to speak to him then. We had to act quickly because from what I'm told, Huntly, Buckie and Elgin were all after him. He got home on Sunday night, I spoke to him on Monday and he came through and trained with us and signed on Tuesday night. With these calibre of clubs after him and the fact that he has chosen to come to us, it is great news for the club."
Fridge added: "Lewis has worked with myself before at Nairn when he and Davie MacRae were on loan from Inverness CT so he knows what we are all about. He has been a full time professional and I believe he won all the Player of the Year awards for Buckie at the end of the season so he has a good pedigree.
"We like to play football and create things so I think he will fit in really well. He already knows a lot of the boys we have here because he is a local boy so it's a good signing for us."
"He has been playing a high standard of football of football over there and his season just finished a couple of weeks ago so I believe, but he is a fit lad anyway."
MacKinnon will be familiar to the Station Park faithful after spending the 2004-05 season on loan at Nairn from Inverness CT and featured mainly at centre back. Although injuries affected his first spell with the club, he managed 17 starts as well as three substitute appearances and scored on his debut on the opening day of the season at Fort William.
Following his release from Inverness CT in the summer of 2005, MacKinnon was lured to Forres Mechanics where he played against Nairn in the North of Scotland Cup final that season before scoring in the league match between the two clubs at Mosset Park. After spending just one season with the Mechanics, MacKinnon moved on to Buckie Thistle after representing the Scotland semi-pro side during the summer of 2006. He spent almost two years at Victoria Park, scoring against County in last season's Scottish Cup, before taking the opportunity to head Down Under back in March.
Although the initial deal is only until March 2009, there is the chance that MacKinnon could remain a Nairn player beyond the end of his current contract. Fridge revealed: "He will be here for three to four months to begin with but it could be for longer than that. He hasn't decided if he is definitely going to go back across to Australia or not."
The manager is yet to decide whether to deploy MacKinnon in attack or defence. He said: "It's not something I have decided upon just yet and something that we will have to have a look at over the next couple of weeks. But the most pleasing thing is he's very good at the back or up front so so he gives us alternative options."
Fridge was unperturbed by his side's lack of goals having drawn a blank for two games in a row for the first time since back-to-back 4-0 defeats to Deveronvale last season. He said: "We are still creating an awful lot of chances but we are not taking them. I would be more concerned if we were at least not making these chances."
MacKinnon - who will wear the squad number eight - could get a run out this Saturday in a friendly match. Fridge said: "We don't have an official game this Saturday but we're hoping to arrange a friendly against an amateur side. That will give me the chance to have a look at him and decide what we are going to do."
County return to action on November 29 with a home league game against Brora Rangers where MacKinnon is expected to debut.