Nairn goal legend Conor Gethins considers his future after 200-goal milestone
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NAIRN County's hotshot striker Conor Gethins is considering his future after becoming the second highest scorer in the club's history.
The hitman – dubbed Loch Ness Messi by some – took his tally for Wee County to 200 goals earlier this month, leading to an offer to stay at Station Park.
"I have been asked to re-sign for Nairn, but I have spoken to the manager and said that I am just going to take some time to think about this," said the 39-year-old.
"I want to get into the management side of things and coaching, and that will not be too far away – I am not getting any younger!"
After many years as a player, he enjoys being a mentoring figure to younger players in the team.
"I do like helping the boys out," he said. "The majority in our team are in their 20s and I have 10 years on them, a lot of them have just come through as well, so I try to give as much information as I can.
"I am constantly learning, even at my old age. The older you get, the more you have to adapt to what your capabilities are.
"When I was younger I was very fast and now I am really slow! You have to adapt every year.
"If I could give a tip to my younger self, it would be to keep myself busy. Looking back, I wish I had taught myself more things, and focused more on my college work. You have a lot of time and it's important to spend it well."
He described netting the milestone penalty, in a home game against Keith, as getting a monkey off his back.
"I was waiting for around five weeks for it," said the Irish-born forward who moved to Scotland at the age of 15 and counts Ross County among his former clubs.
"When preparing for the penalty, I saw people going around behind the posts, so it was a bit nerve-racking.
"But I really enjoy playing for Nairn, I think I've scored around 370 goals in my career – and 200 have been here.
"The fans are amazing and the players I have played with throughout the years have been a great help, so it's probably been one of my most favourite places for football.
"It's not just the football side of things though, the friendships with people at the club have made it very special for me."
When he is not on the pitch, Gethins runs his short-term let and caravan business Ness Accomodation. He has two children with his wife Rebecca: Freya (4) and Finlay (11) – who plays for Ross County U12.
Nairn County director of football Graeme Macleod said: “Everyone at the club is delighted for Conor reaching this milestone. It is a fantastic achievement for anyone at any level to reach 200 goals for a club, so we are really proud of him and he deserves all the plaudits which have come his way.
“Conor is now in his seventh season with us over two spells and is the second highest goalscorer in our 109-year history. His legacy at this club is secured and he has had a huge positive influence on a large number of players past and present over his time with us.
“Conor is one of the senior members of the squad and can be relied upon to set really high standards for his teammates to aspire towards. Even being in the later stages of his career, the will to win is most definitely still there and you can see, even in training, that he hates getting beat and is always desperate to do well.
“Conor should be proud of this achievement and he will rightly go down as one of the greatest players in Nairn County’s history.”
Lifelong County fan Donald Wilson said: "Conor is the best striker fans of my generation have seen since the great Davy Johnston who scored 73 goals in 46 games for County in 1963/64. Conor has been a class act and the only disappointment is he never added a Highland League title to his honours. He really deserved it."
