Brora Rangers agree deal with midfielder on new deal to stay with Highland League champions
CRAIG Mackenzie believes Brora Rangers are only going in one direction and he wants to follow them to even more success in the future.
The midfielder has pledged his future to the Cattachs after agreeing to a contract extension which will see him stay at the club until the summer of 2029.
The 22-year-old electrician from Culbokie, who only arrived at Brora last season from Forres Mechanics, has made a big impact at the club during his short time at Dudgeon Park.
He was named as the club’s players’ player of the season and the young player of the season as Brora won a historic treble winning the Highland League, Highland League Cup and North of Scotland Cup.
Mackenzie believes that Brora Rangers are more than capable of achieving more success in the future and that is something he wants to be part of.
Speaking with the Northern Times, he said: “I spoke to the owner Ben Mackay who messaged me about a new deal and I knew that I wanted to stay at Brora Rangers.
“It didn’t take long for me to decide to sign a contract.
“I think that the club is going in only one direction so it was a no brainer to stay at the club.”
Mackenzie came through the youth set-up at Ross County before going on to sign for Strathspey Thistle in 2020.
In 2022, he then signed for Forres Mechanics where he spent two seasons before attracting the attention of Brora Rangers where he arrived last season.
He said winning the treble last season was a dream debut at the club and was honoured to be named young player of the year and players’ player of the year by the club.
He said: “It was nice to be recognised in that way for the first season and I was delighted with that.
“I knew we had a chance of winning the Highland League last season, but I never envisaged us winning all three trophies which was a terrific achievement.”
Brora Rangers moved back to the top of the Highland League last weekend with a 4-2 victory over Deveronvale in Banff.
While pleased to be back at the summit, Mackenzie says it has been frustrating that the club have been knocked out of two cup competitions at early stages.
He believes they are capable of producing better performances on the pitch and the squad will work hard to achieve that.
He said: “We have already been knocked out of the North of Scotland Cup and the Scottish Cup which has not gone well for us.
“We just need to focus on the league and we need to make sure we don’t slip up.
“I don’t think we are playing at our best, I think we are capable of finding a few more gears.
“But we are back at the top of the league which is the main thing. We need to keep finding ways to win and ensure we remain at the top.”
Speaking about his aspirations this season, Mackenzie said: “I want to score more goals and assists, but apart from that, I want to keep my position and be a mainstay in the team. That is my goal.”