October 5th 2026
The year started off with a heavy home derby defeat to Forres Mechanics on January 18th, as our first match of 2025 ended in a 5-1 reverse. It was to be Ross Tokely’s final match as Manager, as he left the club two days later.
Assistant boss Brian Macleod took interim charge until the end of the season and after selling Matthew Wright to Brora Rangers, he lifted the gloom by seeing off Lossiemouth 3-1 at Station Park in his first match at the helm thanks to goals from Scott Lisle and Andrew Greig (2) on February 1st.
Macleod took Calum Mackay back to the club later that month on a short term deal following the winger’s release from Inverness CT, a familiar face having previously spent time with us on loan. Meanwhile, Ciaran Young joined Nairn St Ninian on loan in a deal that was to be made permanent in the summer and forward Roddy Kennedy joined us at the start of March until the end of the season.
After a draw at Strathspey Thistle and narrow defeats to Buckie Thistle, Brora Rangers, Inverurie Locos and Fraserburgh, goals from Ben Barron and Mackay edged out Huntly 2-1 at Station Park on March 22nd.
However, losses at Keith and Wick Academy followed before Greig and Barron struck to see off Turriff United at Station Park on April 2nd, in a match which saw a full debut for then 16-year-old Charlie McKenzie.
The season concluded with away defeats at Brechin City and Formartine United before Barron’s effort earned a point on the final day in a 1-1 home draw with Deveronvale on April 12th. After the match, Andrew Greig was named Players’ Player of the Year, Dylan Maclean picked up the Supporters’ Player of the Year award while Ben Barron collected the Young Player of the Year and the Top Goalscorer prizes.
The close season saw an overhaul of the club off the park. Chairman Mark Kelman stepped down from his position almost immediately after the conclusion of the season, soon followed by Vice Chairman Ken Loades, Club Secretary Ian Finlayson and Match Secretary Gary Souter.
Management Committee member, Kevin Reid took over as Chairman and also joined the Board of Directors, where the club added Declan Flynn, Ronald Gordon, Tom Monteith, Brian Sherret and Gordy Stewart.
Brodie Stewart took over as Vice Chairman and joining the Management Committee were Michael Bochel, Mya Chemonges, John Maclean, Allan Scott, Shaun Smith, Kenny Spink, Derek Steel, Gordy Stewart and Stevie Webster while Graham Stuart was appointed Club Secretary adding to the only other remaining committee members from the previous season, Graeme Macleod and Donald Matheson.
It gave the club a stronger team off the park but immediately on the new Chairman and Management Committee’s agenda was to find a Manager. Stepping into the vacancy following his retirement from playing at the end of the previous season for his first role in management was Wayne Mackintosh, who was appointed on April 29th following 411 appearances in a Nairn County shirt over a 21-year Highland League career which also took in spells at Formartine United and Rothes and included eight winners’ medals along the way.
The new boss set about building his Management Team, retaining Brian Macleod as Assistant Manager and Greig Smith as Physiotherapist while adding former player Martin MacDonald and former coach Mark Greig to his staff. Alan Geegan moved on after a year with us.
On the playing side, he promoted Charlie McKenzie, Chevy Thomson and Ross Murphy to the First Team squad – with the latter two going on to join Nairn St Ninian on loan – and handed new deals to Dylan Maclean, Andrew Greig and Ben Kelly before taking the players for a gruelling training camp in horrendous weather conditions at Cromdale and Kincraig.
Calum Mackay returned to the club on a long term contract while experienced forward Paul Brindle and St Duthus duo Finn As-Chainey and Adrian Voigt were also added to the squad. Scott Lisle departed as he moved to Australia.
Off the park, the new Management Committee netted a new Main Stand sponsorship with Culloden Cars, extended the club’s shirt sponsorship deal with Murray Travel, landed a digital partner in Culloden House Hotel and secured a partnership with Edinburgh law firm, Ralph Sayer, which allowed every Primary 3 pupil in Nairnshire to be presented with our new home shirt, launched on July 17th and commemorating 50 years since our only Highland League title triumph.
Following pre-season matches against Inverness CT, Culloden Blacksmiths, Lossiemouth United, Burghead Thistle, Nairn St Ninian and Arbroath Victoria, we started the season away at Buckie Thistle on July 26th.
In a tightly-contested match, we were reduced to 10 men when Millar Gamble was red carded for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity by committing a foul on a Buckie forward who was in an offside position (not that we’re bitter) before the Jags grabbed the only goal of the game in injury time.
An own goal saw us draw 1-1 with Deveronvale in Wayne’s first home match in charge before Barron headed home the winner against Clachnacuddin in a 1-0 success on August 2nd to give the new Manager his first victory at the helm. Former long term committee member and director and lifelong supporter and fundraiser, Alex ‘Scoosh’ Mackintosh was presented with the British Empire Medal prior to the match.
We exited the North of Scotland Cup to Brora Rangers before defeats to Formartine United, Huntly and Brora Rangers were followed by a resounding 4-0 win over Forres Mechanics at Station Park on August 23rd. Gussie Dey, Barron (2) and a first for the club for As-Chainey gave as a measure of revenge for the January loss to the Can Cans.
We ended August on a poor footing though thanks to a heavy defeat at Fraserburgh but a stunning September saw us go through the month unbeaten and progress in the Scottish Cup for the first time in four seasons.
It started with a 3-0 home win over Inverurie Locos thanks to strikes from Voigt, Brindle and As-Chainey before first half efforts from Mackay and Barron were enough to see off Wick Academy 2-1 at Harmsworth Park.
Greig scored his first of the season in a 4-0 home win over Rothes with goals from Barron, Mackay and a rocket from Dey downing the Speysiders in what was Sam Gordon’s final match for the club after he set off to go travelling round the Far East and Australia.
Next up were Turriff United and Ben Kelly, Fraser Dingwall and Brindle did the damage on Ladies Day at Station Park to secure a 3-0 home win in a match where loan signing from Brora Rangers, Gary Pullen, made his debut. Jamie Carnihan signed a long term extension to his contract before the match.
That set us up nicely for our Scottish Cup first round tie away at Lowland League club, Berwick Rangers. With the distance involved, the team stayed overnight at Dunfermline the night before and spurred on by the large number of boistorous and supportive travelling fans, we made a small piece of Highland League history as goals from Dingwall and Barron either side of half time ensured we became the first team from the league to win a Scottish Cup match in England as we secured our spot in Round Two. Goalkeeper Lewis Munro racked up his fourth clean sheet of the month and fifth of the season along the way.
We came back down to Earth with a bump though with Keith winning 2-0 at Station Park and although we fought back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 at Strathspey Thistle with Brindle (2), Dingwall and Barron on target, we exited the Scottish Cup the following week as Turriff United won 2-1 at Station Park on October 25th. Brodie Watson then joined Inverness Thistle on loan.
Our next match, at home to Brechin City, was abandoned following the passing of loyal supporter and long time sponsor, Peter Gow, during the match. Peter was always there by the tunnel at Station Park at full time as the players left the pitch, applauding them for their efforts win, lose or draw. He is missed by us all.
The response to the Scottish Cup exit was to be a positive one as goals from Barron, Tyler Eadie and a last-minute winner from Brindle saw us progress in the Highland League Cup with a 3-2 win at Huntly, where Dylan Maclean returned between the posts for the first time since mid-August.
We narrowly lost out 2-1 away at title hopefuls, Banks O’Dee then goals from Pullen, Gamble and Kelly saw off Lossiemouth 3-1 at Grant Park only for a second single-goal loss to Buckie Thistle of the season to follow with the Jags taking all three points from Station Park.
A resounding 6-1 victory at Deveronvale came on November 29th when although we were 1-0 down at half time, we emerged comfortable victors thanks to second half goals from Pullen, Mackay (2), Brindle, Barron and As-Chainey.
We then set off to take on Brechin City in the quarter finals of the Highland League Cup and got as far as Keith before the match was postponed. We will try again on January 24th with the winner due to visit Turriff United in the semi finals.
That meant December started with a goalless draw at Clachnacuddin and a narrow home defeat to Formartine United. The match against the Pitmedden side saw a debut for Dale Wood, who joined from Buckie Thistle with club captain Fraser Dingwall also agreeing a new long term contract.
We then rounded off the year with a 2-1 win at Huntly thanks to goals from Pullen and Greig. That result means we have now matched last season’s total number of home and away league wins from last season before toasting the Bells.
Many thanks for all your support throughout the year and best wishes for 2026 from everyone at Nairn County FC.
