North Caledonian League title-winning season with Loch Ness has been all about enjoyment for top scorer and ex-Highland League man Allan Macphee
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Loch Ness top scorer Allan Macphee says this season has been all about enjoying his football – and the North Caledonian League title is just the icing on the cake.
Macphee was one of the scorers as Loch Ness saw off Fort William 5-0 last time out to seal the North Caley crown, and he has led the way for the first-time champions in front of goal.
Closing in on 30 for the campaign, he will have one more chance to add to his tally as Loch Ness host Alness United tomorrow afternoon.
Regardless of what happens this weekend though, Macphee has loved playing in the division this season after dropping down from Highland League outfit Forres Mechanics last summer.
"It's a very different league, it's quite physical in itself," Macphee explained.
"The Highland League is obviously physical, but moving down a level has been about enjoyment for me.
"A lot of my friends and family play for Loch Ness. Some people would question why I dropped down, but I've obviously proven myself by scoring 28 goals so far.
"I used to play on the left wing in the Highland League, but when I joined Loch Ness didn't really have a striker. I played there for the first half of the season, and I think I got about 20 goals.
"Then we got some new players in and I ended up going back to left midfield, which I'm a bit more familiar with.
"Shane (Carling, Loch Ness manager) just started playing me up there, which is how I started banging them in, but a lot of them were from outside the box or out wide, so it has been a really enjoyable season for myself to be honest."
Many clubs claim to have a family feel in their dressing room, but for Macphee that is literally the case.
Club captain Conor Macphee is his cousin, and Allan believes the bond between the squad as a whole has helped see them over the line to become champions.
"Me and Conor have played together our whole lives – so it was a really nice moment to win the league together," Macphee added.
"It will be really nice to lift the trophy together on Saturday too. He's just had a wee one recently, just in the last week or two, so it will be a really nice moment for us as a family to lift the trophy together after that.
"It's been a lot of pressure on myself, just because people know I've moved down from the Highland League. I've had a lot of stick off other teams' fans, but my team has been unreal for me.
"A lot of us are good friends anyway, which can sometimes be a bad thing, but it has been so good here.
"We've gelled, played together and won together. As soon as we've lost a game we've bounced back really well, which has been ideal for us.
"Even before I joined Loch Ness I was pally with the majority of the squad. The whole camaraderie and banter we have as a squad has helped a lot for us to get over the line at the end of the season."
