Head of Academy Recruitment ahead of his Scottish Cup challenge

John Macleod has a different type of task to normal this weekend when Highland League action takes a break for a week and the excitement of the Scottish Cup becomes centre stage as teams across Scotland gear up for their fourth-round ties.

As a club who have their roots in the Highland League, we all know the excitement and allure of the cup draw when the higher league teams come into the fore. The feeling for Buckie Thistle when they were drawn against Scottish Premiership side Celtic must have been one of joy at the thought of playing at Celtic Park.

John combines his playing career at Buckie Thistle with his role as Head of Academy Recruitment at Ross County on top of working 40 hours a week in his day job!

We spoke to John this week about how he combines his roles and how excited he is to play at Celtic Park this weekend.

John said ‘I am currently signed back to Buckie Thistle on a one-year deal, the squad had a lot of injuries at the time and the bench was lighter than required for a team at the top end of the Highland League. Originally, I was playing for the under 21 squad to get my match sharpness back up to where required to play at that level so the timing was perfect in terms of my needs and those of the club too. In my role at Ross County I am currently Head of Academy Recruitment and have been since September 2021. I thoroughly enjoy the role and always try to help out where possible with coaching and gym sessions with the young players.’

When asked about how rewarding it is for him working at a Scottish Premiership club whilst also playing in the Highland League, John added this – ‘I absolutely love working for Ross County and couldn’t be more appreciative of the opportunity I have. It is a pleasure working alongside some top ex-pros and learning from them and both developing as coaches as we progress. Steven Ferguson is always very welcoming and is a breath of fresh air in the game. On the scouting side of things, I love trying to help improve the academy by spotting the next hidden gems around the North of Scotland and would love to unearth a player who goes on to do big things in the game.’

John has had his struggles with injury over recent years and also spoke about just how much it would mean for him to play at Celtic Park, ‘Football has always been a massive part of my life and on top of my 40 hours in my job, all of my time is dedicated to football. Both of my girls are football daft and it will mean so much to them to see me out playing against a team like Celtic. I’ve had 3 hip operations in a 2 year period and it has been 6 years since my last spell at Buckie Thistle due to injury. It would be extra special to score in the game as I have a great record in the Scottish Cup, scoring 14 goals in my 8 games in the competition and making the Team of the Cup two years in a row.’

Everyone at Ross County wishes Buckie Thistle and all remaining Highland League clubs the very best in their ties this weekend.