The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Morrison’s main chance
Elgin City loan attacker Greg Morrison says his early taste of first-team action with parent club Ross County has made him determined to take advantage of his opportunity at Borough Briggs.
Morrison was handed his senior debut at the age of 17 by Staggies boss Jim McIntyre in a 3-2 defeat by Aberdeen in January 2016 but has made a total of just nine appearances for the Dingwall side. Now 20, Morrison says the experience remains the driving force in his career as he aims to make the most of his loan stint, which expires in January.
Morrison said: “When I got my debut there were a lot of injuries to other strikers so I took that chance with both hands.
“I was 17 and it was my first professional year. It was a brilliant experience and it has served me well in the long run to get that taste of first-team action.
“It has helped me keep going and makes me want to get back to that level.
“With the quality of striker that has come and gone in the last few years it has been hard to get a proper run. You had the likes of Liam Boyce and Alex Schalk banging them in for fun.
“I have gone out on loan to try to impress the two managers at Ross County.
“The main thing is getting minutes under my belt. If I’m chipping in with important goals, hopefully I can catch their eye and put the question in their mind for the second half of the season when I go back in January. I am still young, I just need to get game time under my belt and hopefully next season I can maybe push my way into the team.”
Morrison has netted four goals in nine matches for Gavin Price’s men so far and the attacker feels he is reaping the benefits of the experience, adding: “I’ve just been getting used to how the team plays, getting to know all the boys and how they play and learning off them.
“It’s a physical league. The defenders I am coming up against are experienced and they know how to ruffle you up.
“I’m just getting used to that because it’s a lot different from reserve football which I have been used to in the last three or four years.
“In every game I am learning something new.”
Elgin play host to Berwick Rangers today in the first of back-to-back home matches.
Morrison added: “It’s a great opportunity to try and get a bit of momentum going into what will be a big game against Clyde next weekend.”