Buckie player forced to quit football
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The news was the latest hammer blow to hit Jags in a nightmare season on the injury front.
Former Inverurie Locos man Maitland has been plagued by injuries throughout his two years at Buckie and assistant boss Lewis MacKinnon revealed the player has had enough.
"John has decided to retire," said MacKinnon. "He has been struggling with injuries since he joined the club and he's just decided to call it a day now.
"It's just taken its toll on him and getting him a bit down, coming back and breaking down all the time.
"He wasn't doing himself justice with some of his performances. He's a quality player and it's just been a terrible spell this last season."
Shaun Carroll has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and with Jags having nothing left to play for this season, Hamish Munro's back injury won't be risked in their remaining games and he will return in the pre-season.
That's two more names on a long-term list which includes last season's goal sensations John McLeod and Sam Urquhart, captain Kevin Fraser and knee op duo Shaun Wood and Craig Cowie.
One big plus for Jags supporters was their team's return to winning ways in some style at Fort William last weekend.
Keen to bounce back from four defeats and a draw in the previous five games in all competitions, Buckie thrashed their Lochaber hosts 7-0.
Striker Declan Milne at last came good in a Buckie shirt with a hat-trick, well supported by two goals from Stevie Ross. Andy MacAskill started the rout and an own goal finished things off near the end.
"It was a good performance, very pleasing with all the boys out injured and the squad we've got," said MacKinnon. "At this moment in time to go and win 7-0 was really good."
Buckie have had some close shaves with perennial strugglers Fort in recent seasons so it was almost ironic that a Jags squad down to the bare bones should win so convincingly.
"I've gone down there with arguably better starting elevens and struggled to get victories when we were winning leagues so it was a good result.
"I've never played on such a narrow pitch but the boys did well and played some good football."
Buckie recently took youngster Jack Murray in on loan from Ross County to boost squad numbers, and manager Graeme Stewart turned to former club Caley Thistle to gain another player last week.
Winger Mitch Foy (18), who had a spell on loan at Keith earlier this season, has been farmed out to Jags for the rest of the season and debuted at Fort.
"He came in on the right-hand side of midfield and acquitted himself well. He set up a goal with quite an intelligent cross that he hung up to the back post so he looked decent and it will do him good playing in men's' football for a bit."
Buckie have six games left, starting with the first of two matches against Moray rivals Forres Mechanics this weekend at Mosset Park.
"We just want to put together a wee run until the end of the season.
"It was a good win on Saturday to get, no disrespect to Fort William but you are going down there expecting to win and by a few goals .
"We've now got six games and two of them against Forres. It's six winnable games so we want to go and try to finish as high up that league as possible and regroup for next season."
