Rothes will be no soft touch for Nairn midfielder McKenzie
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KENNY McKenzie knows a little about what Nairn County’s opponents today, Rothes, have been going through.
As part of the Fort William squad last season, McKenzie endured a tough start to the campaign that saw them win just once in their opening 17 league fixtures.
However, a club record four league wins on the bounce turned around the fortunes of the Lochaber club, who finished outside of the bottom three for the first time in 20 years.
Rothes have not had their troubles to seek this season. Local businessman Richard Forsyth spared them from extinction two weeks ago with last-minute investment into the club, over an unpaid £30,000 tax bill. Two defeats by double-digits, the latest coming last weekend in a 12-2 defeat to Clach, could have them fearing the worst with an encounter against goal-hungry Nairn.
“We were in a similar situation at Fort where new guys have come in and it takes a while to gel,” said McKenzie, who signed for Nairn in the summer alongside Fort team-mates Calum Maclean and Andrew Hardwick.
“They’ve gone into administration and are hopefully now clear of it. I didn’t read the report of their game against Clach but we can’t afford to get complacent. They will be hurt by that defeat and have the incentive of playing at home against us.”
His performances at Claggan Park last season earned a switch to the Wee County, a year after he was first noticed by Fridge. McKenzie appeared as a trialist last season for Nairn but elected to play for Fort instead, in search of regular football.
Four starts out of four in the league have surprised even the 22-year-old, who was greeted with a step up in quality when he arrived at Station Park.
“When I first moved, I didn’t think I’d be getting much game time as I have. Les just said to me if I worked hard, I would get my chance,” he said. “I’ll keep trying to take it and everything has been pretty positive.
“I’m still playing the same teams but the quality in the Nairn squad is greater. You’ve got boys in there that have played at a higher level and probably still could.
“At Fort, I was playing with guys I’d been to university with and there were a lot of friends. But this is a different standard — some of the things they try in training are outrageous.”
McKenzie has been the only one of the ex-Fort trio to cement his place in the side this season, with Maclean and Hardwick still waiting for their first starts. The form of Tony Wallace and Robbie Duncanson, forwards deployed in midfield roles, have kept Maclean out of the side, while Hardwick has missed games due to work commitments.
“I played at university with Calum and he’s more of a defensive-minded midfielder,” said McKenzie.
“He’s good on the ball and surprisingly good in the air for his height.
“Andrew is a no-nonsense type of defender — he takes everything and the ball like a good centre-half. He’s not as quick as he would like but he makes up for that by reading the game well.”
He is also confident that his former side will pick up points after their poor start to the season.
“Ally Ewen deserves great credit — he’s the one that brought me to Fort. They’ve not had the best of starts but maybe as time goes on, they’ll gel and start getting results,” said McKenzie.
