Latest news with #Buckie
Press and Journal
4 days ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
STARTING XI: Graeme Stewart on title joy with Buckie and early days at Caley Thistle
Former Buckie Thistle manager Graeme Stewart takes on this week's Q&A feature. The man known as 'Spider' – who stepped down as Jags boss after leading the club to the Highland League title in 2024 – looks back on his playing and managerial career to date. It was for Caley Thistle in a League Cup tie at Stenhousemuir in July 1999. We won 3-1 and I played an hour. I was 17 and just remember everyone seemed so big and quick. I enjoyed it, but was out my depth and it made me realise I had a lot of work to do to be able to play at that level. Winning the league with Buckie Thistle four times as player and manager. I won promotion with Peterhead for finishing second one season but nothing comes close to the feeling of winning the league and knowing all the hard work paid off. Bobby Mann and Barry Robson at Inverness were both brilliant. If Bobby had pace he could have played at any level, in my opinion. In the Highland league, Ian Murray was an outstanding striker and could have played at a higher level. There are a few others that stand out – Tommy Wilson, David Macrae and Zander Sutherland were all terrific. I always had hard games against Rab Brown, and we ended up being teammates. He was a very good hard player, which every team needed. Kyle MacLeod and Andrew MacAskill had the worst gear I've ever seen. It was like they were trying to look bad and the clothes were either too bright, too big, or too small. Hopefully as enthusiastic and encouraging. I was always talking and trying to help those around me. However, in my early 20s, they might have said a few different things. You only get out of something what you are willing to put in. I don't think it's a coincidence that the most successful people tend to work the hardest. I used to love playing against Fraserburgh at Bellslea Park. There was a big rivalry between the clubs and they always had a big, strong and aggressive team. The games were a battle and usually ended in a red card or two. When I went there as a manager, it made me miss playing. I didn't score many, but my favourite would have been against Morton in the Scottish Cup for Buckie. We were away from home and losing 2-0 and I scored to make it 2-2. We ended up conceding in the last minute to make it 3-2, but if we held on, it would have been one of the best results in Buckie's history. I would probably take Daniel Bell as he is one of my best friends. I'm not sure if he would be able to help catch any food, but at least we could have a laugh. Well, I have been away from football for 12 months now, so I have had plenty time to relax and spend time with my family. I have two daughters and it has been good being able to do things with them at the weekend. I also enjoy watching football matches on TV or going to grounds when I get the chance.
Press and Journal
5 days ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Highland League digest: New faces in at Banks o' Dee, Buckie Thistle and Formartine United
Sam Pugh has had a taste for success and is aiming to get his hands on more trophies with new club Banks o' Dee. The midfielder has joined the Aberdeen outfit on a three-year deal following five years at Buckie Thistle, who he helped to win the Breedon Highland League title in 2024. Pugh was with Inverurie Locos and Keith as a young player before heading to America for a scholarship at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. The 27-year-old joined the Jags when he returned to the north-east in 2020, but with his contract at Victoria Park expiring this summer, Pugh has decided to take on a new challenge with Dee. He said: 'With my contract coming to an end I just felt it was the right time to move on. 'I was fortunate to have some good options to choose from, but the reason I chose Banks o' Dee is because in their time in the Highland League they've always been successful in terms of winning cups. 'They want to try to keep pushing on and being successful and I wanted to be part of that so hopefully we can have success. 'Winning the league at Buckie gave me a taste for winning things and wanting to win more and I feel Banks o' Dee is the place where I can do that. 'It's funny when we won the league last year with Buckie when we were celebrating on the Saturday night someone said to me 'plenty of people win it once, but not many win it twice.' 'Having had the feeling of winning the league I'd like to try to do it again. 'It was quite flattering the interest that clubs showed in me and there are pros and cons to every option. 'It was difficult to say no to clubs, but I'm hoping I've made the right choice with Banks o' Dee.' As well as winning the Highland League with Buckie, Pugh captained Thistle when they played Celtic at Parkhead in the Scottish Cup in January 2024. Looking back on his time with the Jags, he added: 'I've got great memories of my time at Buckie, I absolutely loved it at Buckie. 'When I came back from my scholarship I don't think a lot of people really knew me and Graeme Stewart took a chance on me at a time when I didn't have many options. 'The only regret I have from my time at Buckie was that we didn't win more because we put ourselves in the position to win things often enough. 'We were second in the league twice and lost four cup finals, but then when we did actually win the league that was really special. 'I'll never forget leading the team out at Parkhead as well, although it was very unlucky for Kevin Fraser. Kevin is the captain, but he was out injured so I got to lead the boys out. 'With Kevin being a Celtic fan I'd have loved for him to get the chance to do it, but to be captain on that day was special for me. 'The people at the club are amazing. My family come to all the games and the people at Buckie were always so welcoming to my family.' Buckie Thistle boss Lewis MacKinnon says new recruit Ross Paterson arrives at Victoria Park with a hunger to succeed. The Jags have signed the midfielder on a two-year deal from Lossiemouth, with his Coasters' contract expiring this summer. Paterson, 28, is the second player Buckie have signed from Lossie this summer, following the capture of Ross Morrison earlier this month. Thistle manager MacKinnon said: 'I became aware that Ross was available and when we played Lossiemouth in the last couple of seasons the games have been tough and particularly in the central midfield area, which Ross has been part of. 'He's fit, he's keen, he's a local Moray-based player and he's a free agent so he ticks a lot of boxes. We're delighted to get Ross on board. 'I think Ross Paterson, like Ross Morrison, is coming with a hunger to do well. 'He's joining a club bit further up the table and he's keen to push on. 'The attitude Ross has shown in the chats I've had with him has been really good and I think he'll flourish with ourselves.' For a number of years Buckie have drawn players from Aberdeen and Inverness as well as Moray. But MacKinnon says this summer he's largely been looking at players relatively local to Buckie and he hopes the Jags' supporters will back the new faces. He added: 'The way things are at the moment I've had guys from Aberdeen and Inverness who aren't so keen to travel. 'So you have to look elsewhere and when opportunities arise to sign good local players like Ross Paterson and Ross Morrison then you can't pass that up. 'I think if you do well for Buckie the supporters don't care where you're from. 'However, there's no question they like seeing local lads from Buckie, or from Moray, in the team doing well.' Manager Stuart Anderson believes Finlay Murray has a bright future with Formartine United. The 20-year-old defender joins the Pitmedden club after leaving League One outfit Cove Rangers. Murray was previously with Aberdeen and had a loan spell in the Breedon Highland League with Turriff United during the 2023-24 season. However, he left Pittodrie last year and signed for Cove, but made only seven appearances for the Balmoral Stadium side, and has now joined Formartine. Boss Anderson is looking forward to working with him and said: 'Finlay's a good young prospect, he's got bags of potential to develop into a really good centre-half. 'He's had a good background, coming from Aberdeen and Cove, and having that involvement in full-time football. 'He's one we feel can really develop with ourselves and we're looking forward to him getting started. 'The spell Finlay had at Turriff was his first spell playing men's football and he did really well at this level. 'We're a year on from that now and physically he's developed since then. 'I think Finlay will be a good fit for us and he'll give us another good option in the squad. 'Finlay probably had a frustrating season, he needs to get games under his belt, but he'll get plenty of opportunities with us. 'We've developed some good young players in recent seasons and hopefully he can be another one.' This week Formartine have also secured defenders Rhys Thomas and Luke Strachan and striker Brody Alberts on contract extensions. Anderson added: 'The three of them are good players and it was important for the club that we got them tied down. 'We're delighted that they see their future at Formartine, they've all got scope to develop further and hopefully they continue to get better and better.'
Press and Journal
23-05-2025
- Press and Journal
Elgin man who 'identifies as a car' made racist remarks after being refused food at drive-thru
A Buckie man who told fast food workers he should be allowed to order from the drive-thru because he 'identifies as a car' went on to make a series of racist remarks. Ryan Morrison appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court on Thursday for sentencing after having earlier admitted to acting in an aggressive manner at the McDonald's restaurant on Linkwood Place on March 26 this year. Deferring sentence on the case for one month, Sheriff David Harvie branded the 39-year-old's behaviour 'appalling'. The court heard that Morrison's tirade at the McDonald's came just hours after he was released on bail at Elgin Sheriff Court. He had appeared on remand after resisting arrest in Elgin's High Street, following aggressive behaviour in another local takeaway. Officers also found a small bag of cannabis – valued at about £25 – in his possession. However, within hours of his freedom, Morrison would find himself in trouble again. At McDonald's, he approached workers at its drive-thru window and attempted to be served. When he was told he could not be served, due to his lack of car, Morrison tried a different tactic. Fiscal depute Shay Treanor told the court: 'The accused advised [the employee] he identifies as a car and could indeed order at the drive-thru.' That too failed to convince the employee so Morrison moved inside but became 'agitated' when he was denied the use of a phone charger. He then called one employee a 'w*****' and made a stabbing motion towards them. His ire would then turn on customers, with Morrison challenging one to a fight outside and seeing him make Islamophobic comments. 'And went on to talk about Muslims being gunned down, making a firing motion – as if firing a gun – while doing so,' Mr Treanor added. 'And then made a motion drawing his finger across his throat. There were staff members and patrons in the restaurant while this was happening.' He was arrested at the scene. Matthew O'Neill, Morrison's defence solicitor, said his client was 'deeply embarrassed' by his actions across the charges. 'He realises in the cold light of day he was the architect of his own downfall,' he said. Hearing Morrison was already subject to 170 hours of unpaid work from an order made in January, Sheriff Harvie offered him the opportunity to make some progress. Sentencing him to another 90 hours of work for his behaviour on Elgin's High Street, which he also admitted to, Sheriff Harvie called for a review of the order in one month and warned Morrison that there would just be two options on the table when he returned to court. 'I've already characterised this as totally reprehensible behaviour made worse by the fact it was a matter of hours since you've been released from this court,' he said. 'I really need you to have an excellent report in a month's time and to have made good progress with the hours that are outstanding. 'We're looking at pretty substantial number of hours or a custodial sentence in respect of the McDonald's matter, and in the end the choice is going to be yours.'
BBC News
21-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Moray Council insists Buckie High School is safe after concerns
Moray Council has insisted Buckie High School remains a safe environment for pupils and staff after photos were posted online appearing to show it in a poor local authority said improvement work was ongoing and issues were being media posts of the secondary in a state of disrepair have been uploaded in recent days, with one parent saying the picures were a "massive concern".However, in a statement, council leader Kathleen Robertson said some of the damage shown was from storms in 2024, and that those specific issues were addressed at the time and had since been resolved. Stephen Birtwistle has a son at the school - as well as a son and daughter who will be moving up soon. He told BBC Scotland News: "Nobody wants to stress about their kids having to go into a school which is unsafe. "From the look of the pictures and the stories I am being told it is a massive concern as a parent, you just do not want that phone call saying something has happened to your child. "Our kids deserve better, it is not acceptable to have them at a school in that condition." Parents have long campaigned for an improved school to be built in its place but Moray Council said "work towards a long-term solution" was ongoing. Council leader Ms Robertson said: "We are aware of recent posts and photographs circulating online about the condition of Buckie High School and understand that parents, carers, and members of the community may feel concerned and upset by what they are seeing and reading online."While some current concerns have already been identified by both the council and the school, our maintenance teams are addressing them where appropriate."Any urgent matters are responded to as a priority."
BBC News
08-05-2025
- BBC News
Man who raped boy jailed for six-and-a-half years
A man who repeatedly raped a 15-year-old boy after plying children with cannabis has been jailed for six-and-a-half Chapman, 28, from Peterhead, was found guilty of offences in Buckie in Lord Renucci told Chapman he continued to pose a significant risk of was given an extended sentence at the High Court in Dundee, meaning he will be monitored for a further two years after his release from custody. Chapman was found guilty of raping the 15-year-old boy on various occasions between 2021 and was also convicted of supplying cannabis to children aged between 14 and 17 in 2022 and found guilty of carrying out several sex attacks on a 14-year-old court heard that Chapman continued to deny his guilt. 'Not a one off' Defence counsel Rebecca Osborne told the court that he had a difficult upbringing and led an "unstructured lifestyle" which included heavy use of Renucci told Chapman: "This was a 15-year-old boy and it wasn't a one-off occasion. This was the rape of a 15-year-old boy on a number of occasions."Your victims were vulnerable and it was clear you targeted them because of their vulnerabilities. You exploited them by providing them with cannabis."Chapman was placed on the sex offenders register and banned from having contact with his victims.
