‘Enough is enough’ as stalwart MacIntyre announces retirement

Oban Camanachd’s longestserving player Aidan MacIntyre has decided to call it a day after close on 500 appearances for last season’s Mowi Premiership runners-up.

The midfielder and club stalwart, who is 35 next month, said: “Enough is enough and it’s time to step down.

“Club captain Daniel Cameron called me to try to change my mind. I appreciated his effort, but I stressed I’ll be retiring.

“I’ll still be at every game to cheer on the team, which has great potential, but I made my first-team debut at the age of 14 against Skye at Portree and have had a lengthy and enjoyable stint in the red and black.

“I’ll go back to training once the better weather comes, as manager Steven Sloss has said I’d be welcome, and hope to go on the bus to away games.”

MacIntyre has three Celtic Society Cup winners medals, two Camanachd Cup runners-up – including last September – and one Macaulay Cup runners-up.

He has been a club linchpin in his 20year playing career but admitted: “I’d have loved a national winners medal but I feel the current crop of players can go on and achieve that.

“My two most memorable games were ones in which we avoided relegation from the Premiership. We went to Bute in 2012 and got the win which kept us up then, in 2015, I scored the winner against Kingussie at Mossfield, which saved us and condemned Kingussie to a relegation play-off against Kilmallie.

“If we’d gone down then, the current exciting revival at the club might not have happened.”

Oban, however, have balanced Aidan’s departure with an addition to their squad.

Pacy winger Conor Howe has been signed from Inveraray. Howe was outstanding in Oban Camanachd’s under-14 and under-17 teams but after breaking into the senior side he then went to the US on a soccer scholarship.

Returning home, he joined Oban Celtic, before moving to Inveraray last year, but manager Sloss has persuaded him back into Premiership action as he feels that Howe still has significant potential.

International defender Lorne Dickie is set to miss the opening months of the new season as he is taking time out to build a house.