Introduction
“ Stuart McKenzie is a genuine Cove Rangers legend.” Not only is he among the group who have made most appearances for the club, he is also now the jointly most-decorated player in Cove’s history, alongside another great, Eric Watson, the pair having each amassed fourteen winners’ medals. Having started his career as a teenager at Inverness Caley Thistle, then Montrose, Stuart first joined the club in 2008, signed by current director of football, John Sheran. He established himself in the side and caught the eye of new Montrose manager, Stuart Garden, himself a former goalkeeper. He returned to Links Park in the summer of 2013 and was an everpresent in their League Two campaign. He started 2014-15 as first choice, but a couple of red cards saw him suspended and on the sidelines until early December. After regaining his place, Stuart kept the gloves for the remainder of the season. The following summer saw a surprise return to Cove and the next four seasons would be trophy-laden as Sheran’s side dominated the Highland League and cup competitions, culminating in the play-off victory in 2019 which clinched the step-up to the SPFL. It was a return to that stage for Stuart and he was up for the challenge, starting every one of the twentyeight league matches the club played before being declared League Two champions when the season was called because of COVID.
