Was reading recently about the rapid rise of this young Scot, getting an U21 call-up and now a regular in Championship side Peterborough. He joined them a year ago from Cove Rangers, where he'd been for 3 seasons.

I'm trying to think of other Highland League players of recent times who have gone on to much greater things, but I'm struggling. Ritchie Hart going to ICT was a success, but not as impressive a story as this Coutts chap.

Ritchie Hart going to ICT was a success, but not as impressive a story as this Coutts chap.

It was hardly the success story of the year...

(Ritchie)

Edited August 11, 200916 yr by Johnboy

From non-league Grays Athletic to Wolves Michael Kightly. I know it's not Highland League, just the English version.

played with paul when we were in the aberdeen youth team together, very skillful player, deserved his break.

cant think of any other story coming close to that. you get a few junior players down central belt jumping to 1st division quite often but in comparison not the same as highland league to championship.

Tokely possibly? :P

Ross Tokely would be one.

I know we signed Golabek from County but before that he was at Clach.

Tokely went from HL to the lower leagues, and then progressed up with ICT over many years, which isn't quite the big step-up I had in mind.

Duncan Shearer was quite successful, dependant on your definition of recent. He moved from Clach to Chelsea, I think.

Edited August 12, 200916 yr by birdog

Dougie Imrie has to be considered ..... Juniors to SPL in about 3 seasons ?

A few of our players - like Rosscoe, Hastings, and one or two others might be worthy of consideration but theirs was more of a gradual rise than a rapid rise to prominence ..... or how about Alan Smart although his flame didnt burn that brightly or for long

Going back a few decades, local boy, George Ross, went straight from schools football, as a 15 year old, to Preston. He then stayed with them all his career. Also, didn't Ted McDougal go straight from Highland league to an English league team?

David Shearer, Clach to Middlesboro. He is of course Duncans brother, and was a better player in my opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Shearer

And what about the guy that played for Bolton and Scotland, thingamyjig, John McGinlay, he started at Nairn County before ending up at Bolton via numerous clubs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McGinlay

Both born in Inverness according to my mate wiki.

Edited August 12, 200916 yr by themann4thejob

Billy Urquhart - Caley to Rangers

We should balance that with Charlie Christie from Inverness Thistle to Celtic.

David Shearer, Clach to Middlesboro. He is of course Duncans brother, and was a better player in my opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Shearer

And what about the guy that played for Bolton and Scotland, thingamyjig, John McGinlay, he started at Nairn County before ending up at Bolton via numerous clubs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McGinlay

Both born in Inverness according to my mate wiki.

Cant dispute whether or not they were born in Inverness, may have been cos it was the nearest mattie hospital, but they were brought up in Caol, Fort William as was another two I could add to the list.....Donald Park and George 'Pele' Cambell both went from Caley. Parkie to Hearts and Pele to Aberdeen then on to Australia where he's still involved in football.

Edited August 12, 200916 yr by Alex MacLeod

Kevin MacDonald went from Caley to Leicester City, then Liverpool,then Rangers and is possibly the best player to come out of the highland league !

And then of course there's Les Fridge, Thistle to Chelsea.

Plenty of great names here (and Les Fridge), but how many achieved a big step up in the last 25 years? What happened?

Nairn County centre forward, Davie Johnstone, went straight into Aberdeen's first team, playing in Europe, if I remember correctly.

He then got homesick and returned to Nairn before again joining the big boys, this time with Hearts.

Caley Were Told About Paul While Brewster Was In Charge. He Was Deemed To Be No Better Than They Had At The Time

Dave Johnstone, now that was a goalscorer.

What about Colin Hendry, from Keith to Islavale to Dundee to Blackburn Rovers.

Seems to be a few big jumps in the past, but now with football where it is now, you rarely see big teams looking to lower non leagues like the highland league to find players. 20 years ago there wasn't much money invested in youth systems so moves like Paul's back then was not that rare. It is far less likely you'll see moves like Paul Coutts's to Peterborough, now that all teams pretty much have youth systems and the money to buy from other teams. Much more impressive to get a move like that nowadays.

Edited August 12, 200916 yr by CaleyP

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/e...rem/8182090.stm

Saw this on BBC, mapping the birthplaces of current Premiership players. The map of the UK in the bottom left shows that there are none from anywhere north of Dundee. 20 years ago (the grey circles) there were 3 from Elgin area.

Des Bremner - Deveronvale to Hibs to Aston Villa and a European Cup Winners Medal (and a Scotland cap)

Going back a few decades, local boy, George Ross, went straight from schools football, as a 15 year old, to Preston. He then stayed with them all his career. Also, didn't Ted McDougal go straight from Highland league to an English league team?

Ted MacDougall was born in Inverness but never played in the Highland League - moved down south at an early age - but hey he still scored nine goals in a FA cup game for Bournemouth - currently coaching in the US according to yer man's mate

Nairn County centre forward, Davie Johnstone, went straight into Aberdeen's first team, playing in Europe, if I remember correctly.

He then got homesick and returned to Nairn before again joining the big boys, this time with Hearts.

Don't know the chronology but he also played with Caledonian, where he broke the record for the number of HIghland League goals in a season. A record that still stands. I have no idea of the exact number, but I am told it is astonishing. Any HL stattos?

Nairn's website says 75.

Nairn County centre forward, Davie Johnstone, went straight into Aberdeen's first team, playing in Europe, if I remember correctly.

He then got homesick and returned to Nairn before again joining the big boys, this time with Hearts.

Don't know the chronology but he also played with Caledonian, where he broke the record for the number of HIghland League goals in a season. A record that still stands. I have no idea of the exact number, but I am told it is astonishing. Any HL stattos?

Davie Johnston went from Nairn to Hearts, returning to Nairn before joining Aberdeen. Signed for Caley in summer of 1969 and in his first season at Telford Street, hit 52 goals; his strike partner that season, Chic Allan, scored 49.