Changing room chat: Football team recruit shinty stars

STRATHSPEY Thistle, Scotland’s current worst semi-professional football club, have swooped to sign three of the very best in the land – at shinty.

The Highland League whipping boys raided all-conquering Camanachd Premier League champions Newtonmore to bolster their ailing squad. Steven MacDonald, Rory Kennedy and Paul MacArthur were outstanding performers in 2011 as Newtonmore clinched a League and Camanachd Cup double.

Now they will be setting aside their medals and shinty sticks and concentrating on life at the foot of the Highland table. Grantown-based Strathspey have just one draw and 14 defeats from the first 15 league outings of the season.

Manager Brian Ritchie, who has had to deal with squad desertions and injuries, is thrilled to land the caman-wielding trio. He said: “We’ve not had our troubles to seek this season. Injuries have been bad and a few lads have let us down. So to land these three characters is a massive boost. These lads from Newtonmore are born winners in their main sport but are also very capable footballers.”