Some ex-Academy players have agreed to give us their thoughts on the best team they have played with in their career and moments from a memory match. We will publish them over the next few months.
First up is Nigel MacKenzie. Nigel made his Academy debut on the 7th Jan 1995 under managers John MacDonald and Patty Miller in an away game against Fort William. He went on to have 234 appearances for the club scoring 37 goals. Nigel’s greatest XI is as follows.
| No. | Position | Name | Reason for Inclusion |
| 1 | GK | Graeme Stewart | A very commanding presence and set high standards for the team. |
| 2 | RB | Gary Campbell | Moaniest player I have ever played with but left everything on the park, top notch full back. |
| 3 | LB | Gary Manson | Mr Academy! Truth be told defending isn’t Gary’s strength, he is better attacking. It’s an easy option to fire him in here, the man can play any position. |
| 4 | CH | Sandy Macleod | A complete gentleman off the park but a beast on it, another player who set the standards high. Probably the player I learnt the most from in terms of how you approach the game. |
| 5 | CH | Gordon Robertson | Would win every tackle, man was a beast. |
| 6 | Def Mid | Craig Shearer | The man was just a beast, could do anything. How he never made the Highland League select is beyond me! |
| 7 | Def Mid | Martin Gunn | Just a fantastic player, made my life very easy. Excellent Skipper. |
| 8 | Centre Mid | Gary Farquhar | Best player I have played with, just sheer class. |
| 9 | Right Mid | Gordon Connelly | Not his natural position but I can’t possibly leave him out of this so he can slot in there. Man read the game superbly and a fantastic range of passing. |
| 10 | Forward | Mark Nichol | Probably should have played for Academy more but easily the best finisher I have played with. |
| 11 | Left Mid | Davie Allan | Wee bruiser, another one who is quiet off the park but anyone who has played against him will tell you they hated it! |
Nigel has also picked a memory match.
| Season\Date | 2001 – 17th Nov |
| Location | Harmsworth Park |
| Opposition | Threave Rovers |
| Score | Lost 3-2 |
| Memories of the match |
This was my first time captaining the team in the Scottish Cup proper. There was a huge amount of hype around the game given the geographical aspects. Unfortunately, we lost, I scored with about a minute to go but we couldn’t find an equaliser. Weirdly we watched the highlights of the game in the Holborn Hotel later that night! |
