Stornoway teenager Andrew MacLeod hopes knuckling down on loan at Nairn County in Highland League has been enough to earn a new contract with Ross County
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It has been a season of uncertainty in many ways for Ross County.
On the pitch, the Staggies have never been far from the bottom of the table. Having only stayed up at the very last moment of the play-off final last year, fears of another relegation fight make it difficult to plan for anything past the end of the season.
That has led to off-field turmoil too. A poor run of form cost Malky Mackay his job back in November, and replacement Derek Adams only last 79 days – the joint-shortest tenure of any County manager – before stepping away in February, replaced on an interim basis by Don Cowie.
While all of that has led to many headlines and discussions about what might be next amongst the fanbase, there are some players at the club who are equally unsure of what the future holds.
Although senior players have the chance to earn their future on the pitch, for younger ones trying to break into the first team in Dingwall, it is not that simple.
Andrew MacLeod is just one example. Having spent this season shining on loan at Highland League outfit Nairn County, reaching double figures for goals at Station Park, it would seem like the Stornoway native has shown enough to be able to continue his development in Dingwall.
With so much change at County throughout the campaign though, and questions marks still around over what the future looks like, the future of an academy graduate who is yet to make his full debut for the Staggies may understandably not be at the top of the club’s list of priorities.
What else can the likes of MacLeod do, then, other than knuckle down and do their best to impress in the meantime?
“You’ve just got to stay focused, because obviously everyone has a different opinion,” MacLeod reasoned.
“Malky would speak to you quite a lot, but that changed when Derek came in. He still cared about everyone, but he brought his own players in so he was more focused on them.
“Don being the gaffer now, he is obviously really good and really helpful. All the boys take to him.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s only going to help you. You’ve just got to focus, and it’s been helpful having games every Saturday so you don’t really think about a few months ahead too much.”
MacLeod was spotted by current County chief executive Steven Ferguson – back when Ferguson ran the club’s academy – when playing a school match in Inverness. The versatile player’s Lewis school defeated Millburn Academy 9-2 that day, with MacLeod bagging a hat-trick.
From there, he would play on the islands across multiple age groups at once, as well as travelling to the mainland on weekends to play for County’s age group sides.
He played against the likes of Motherwell starlet Lennon Miller for County’s youth team, and earned his way into the fringes of Malky Mackay’s senior squad for training and pre-season friendlies.
The last couple of years have seen MacLeod go out on loan to the Highland League to try and build up match experience, but he has continued to train with the Staggies in Dingwall.
With County then, there are a couple of players in particular who stand out as showing the level of ability MacLeod has to work towards to play first team football for the club.
“At Ross County there are different types of players,” he explained.
“You have Victor Loturi who is really comfortable on the ball, and Yan Dhanda whose end product is at a different level. He really shows what you need to make it.
“Then you have the best players in the world that you can look at, like Luka Modric. I can’t really pick one name as someone I model my game after, but I think it’s better that way because I can take pieces of everyone and not just be a one-dimensional player.
“It’s a bit more normal now training with the first team now, but at the start you see them doing some things and just think ‘wow’.
“You don’t actually realise how good they are. You know the level is high, but you don’t get to watch them train like that until you’re in it.
“Those guys joined when I started training with the first team too, so I could see they were at a different level. Sometimes I just give them the ball and see what they can do.
“I learn so much from all the players, not just those two. They’re all really nice and helpful, and will go out of their way to give you advice.
“They all do outrageous things in training, but Loturi and Dhanda specifically come to mind.”
At Nairn County, MacLeod has had a successful season.
Putting injuries behind him to feature regularly for the Wee County, MacLeod is the club’s top scorer this season going into their final Highland League match of the campaign.
He also featured in Nairn’s run to the North of Scotland Cup final – albeit he played no part in the showcase match itself against parent club Ross County.
While MacLeod has enjoyed something of a starring role, he is also well used to putting in the work behind the scenes. In previous years when not in action on a Saturday, he could often be seen as a ballboy at County’s home games.
Naturally, the end goal is to turn out at the Global Energy Stadium as a player for the Stagges, and being around the side on matchdays has helped acclimatise him to the sense of occasion that he hopes will one day come.
It does not always work out for young players trying to make their way in the game, but whether his long-term future is in Dingwall or somewhere else, MacLeod’s time with Nairn means he should not be short of suitors if County decide his time at the club is up.
“The dirty work on a Saturday gets done quite often if you’re not at other games,” MacLeod said of his role in Ross County’s matchdays.
“You know what a matchday feels like, but it’s different being on the pitch as a player.
“It can only help, because you’re not just being thrown into the deep end. You know what’s expected of the players, so when you come in you know exactly what you have to do.
“Then you just have to put your own stamp on things. There are a few guys at my age playing in the league now, so hopefully next season I can be more in and about it.
“This season was about getting games, showing that I can actually play 20 or 30 games-a-year in senior football, so hopefully next season I can push forward again.
“I need to get my contract this summer first, so hopefully I can earn myself a new deal.
“After that, I want to be challenging for places at Ross County, or if that’s not possible I want to go and prove myself next season.
“Long-term, I obviously want to play for Ross County in front of fans at the stadium.”
