Euan Spark loved his three years at Elgin City but regrets poor final season before making his switch to Highland League Brechin City
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EUAN Spark says he regrets leaving Elgin City on the back of a “nightmare” season - but he has loved his time at Borough Briggs.
Spark (25) has agreed a move to Highland League Brechin City, based in his home community and closer to his business interests.
He captained Elgin to third place in each of his first two campaigns, before enduring a season dogged by Covid and injury problems leading to the club slumping to ninth place.
“The most disappointing thing is leaving after this last season,” he said. “With my business I wanted to come closer to home but it made it harder that the last year was so bad and I didn’t want to leave it on such a bad finish to the season after the first two years.
“The success that we had in those first two seasons, we didn’t get promotion but we still talk about how good we were in that first year in particular.
“The league probably didn’t show how good we were but we were coming into a run before Covid happened. It was the same season when we beat Hibs, Brechin, Dundee and Airdrie away and then we gave Raith a good go as well.
“That was the cup run and to finish third in the league and then do the same the year after, that is a big success for a club like Elgin.
“But the last one has been a nightmare season. The majority of the boys got Covid at the start and myself, Kane (Hester) and Jinky (Conor O’Keefe) were doing pre-season with the under-20s.
“Then we thought we would get these boys back and get the season going and the first game of the season, my partner gets Covid and that’s me out as well.
“We didn’t start well, then there was the Clydebank disaster in the cup and you are looking around the dressing room seeing so many faces that were there for the first two years thinking it will get better. But it didn’t happen.”
Spark began his career at Brechin and admits he was unsure what to expect when he first made a move to Elgin. “But I’ve absolutely loved it and I will be the first to say how good a club Elgin City was for me.
“As much as Brechin was a good club when I was there the first time, when I came up to Elgin I was so surprised and shocked with the set-up they’ve got.
“The fans, the community and the youth set-up that they’ve got, the way we were treated as players and working with the manager and his staff - I loved it.
“It was brilliant, and I’m leaving with a lot of good memories.”
