Buckie Thistle manager Lewis Mackinnon believes he’s landed a great signing in former Caley Thistle teenager Aaron Nicolson after the striker scored a debut winner in his Highland League debut against Huntly
Buckie Thistle landed an instant return from debut striker Aaron Nicolson, much to the delight of his new manager.
The 19-year-old was signed from Linlithgow Rose during the week and came off the bench to score the winner in a 1-0 success over Huntly in his first appearance for Jags on Saturday.
Nicolson had previously been on the books of Caley Thistle and Nairn County, as well as a loan spell at Strathspey Thistle where he scored twice in an 8-2 defeat at Buckie this season.
University took him to Edinburgh where he played for Linlithgow but he opted to return to his Inverness home area, and Jags boss Lewis Mackinnon quickly snapped him up.
“It’s always nice to see a new signing get off the mark so early, especially for a striker,” said Mackinnon. “I was delighted for him.”
Nicolson netted eight times for Nairn last term including a hat-trick in the Station Park side’s North Cup final success over Ross County, before his move to Edinburgh.
When he didn’t settle in the capital he was loaned to Strathspey at the start of this season and scored five times including a double at Victoria Park.
Mackinnon saw enough in that match and previous encounters with the young forward to know he could do a job at Buckie.
“He’s a really keen lad and loves his football so he brings youthful energy to the team and squad. I like the way he has integrated in the dressing room already.
“He can play with his back to goal which is good to see in a young striker, he can hold it in, he can mix it and he can win headers, he’s got a decent turn of pace and of course he’s got an eye for goal.
“He showed that at Linlithgow, at Nairn last season in a spell there and already at Buckie.
“He played against us when he was at Strathspey and he played very well and scored two that evening. One was a penalty and the other a good strike from outside the box. That stuck in my mind when I heard he became available.
“He was down in Edinburgh at university but it just wasn’t for him. He wasn’t enjoying the course so he moved back up to Inverness to start a job and a career. I heard last week that was the case so the ball started rolling on that one.”
In gale-force conditions at the Viccy on Saturday, both teams struggled to find their rhythm.
Mackinnon pushed Nicolson into action with 20 minutes to go, and was rewarded when he swept home the winner six minutes from time.
“I think we deserved it in the end, over the proceedings,” Mackinnon said. “It was a tough day, the weather conditions were horrendous to say the least. Fair play to both teams they battled away and did their best.
“I thought we edged it territory-wise with our play taking us into Huntly’s defensive third, albeit there weren’t too many clearcut chances. But when we got one at the end, Aaron was on hand to tuck it away nicely.”
Jags title defence hasn’t gone to plan this season, with Saturday’s success ending a five-game winless streak. The champions remain in eighth place in the table.
But there are signs of some positives for the green and whites, as they are three games unbeaten after draws against Inverurie and Fraserburgh before the win against a Huntly side above them in the table.
Mackinnon summed up a 2024 which saw many highs in the first half and some lows in the second part.
“If we can finish with three points on Saturday (at Wick), overall it won’t be a bad calendar year,” he reflected.
“We won the league and performed reasonably well in the Scottish League Cup. We had another decent Scottish Cup run, we are still in the Highland League Cup and if we can start picking up some points in the league I don’t see why we can’t get back in the top four. It’s all to play for still.
“It’s a really competitive league, and from fourth place down to about 12th at least, everyone can jump positions. We want to come away from the bottom half and get ourselves among the top four or five.”
And will Nicolson be Buckie’s last transfer acquisition of the season? Their manager would like to bolster his squad further if the right players are up-for-grabs.
“We will see what becomes available, and there’s always room to strengthen. I could probably do with one more addition and I would be really happy, perhaps another midfielder.
“But I’m happy to go with the squad we’ve got right now.
“There will be some movement at the end of the season and it is a rebuild from our championship-winning team, that’s for sure. It will take a season or two to maybe hit the heights again of our previous few years.”
Buckie have top scorer Marcus Goodall and midfielder Fraser Robertson both out with ankle injuries.
Mackinnon expects them to be back in the new year but unlikely to feature in Caithness on Saturday.
