It wasn’t just the Dons who were involved in a hectic afternoon of football last Saturday. The Highland League title race went down to a final day decider, with three teams all in with a chance of being crowned champions. Right in the middle of the drama was Tom Ritchie, who has spent the second half of the season on loan at Buckie Thistle.

The young goalkeeper picks up the story…

“It was quite a final day! Ourselves and Brechin were on level points and if we both lost, then Fraserburgh had to win by eight goals, and they ended up beating Strathspey Thistle 11-0! It was in our hands going into the final game, but it was a crazy day. We took the lead after eight minutes and then we knew during the game that Brora had equalised against Brechin and the fans started to sing that we were going to win the league. At full-time when we won 1-0, everyone ran onto the pitch, so I just presumed we had! I was absolutely buzzing.

“When the fans were singing during the game, it started to feel real that we could do it. It was then about holding onto the game. Full credit to Keith, they defended well and were catching us on counter-attacks. It was a really tight game, but we managed to hold on. When the final whistle went it was one of the best feelings I have had in football so far. I have always dreamed of winning a league. It means more because you have to win it over a prolonged period of time.

“Before the game, I knew that we needed to score but as a goalie, there is not much I can do about that! I can maybe start a counter-attack and try to get us up the pitch, but in terms of putting the ball into the back of the net, I can’t do that. I was making sure we were strong at the back, keeping the defenders switched on and trying to keep a clean sheet. My mentality was if we kept a clean sheet, we were going to win the game.”

Congratulations to Tom Ritchie and everyone at @BuckieThistle on winning the Highland League on Saturday 🏆 https://t.co/AeAIRLkv7z pic.twitter.com/V0k8fuffXM

— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) April 23, 2024

Tom joined Buckie in February having had previous loan spells at Highland League side Huntly and then League One sides Queen of the South and Peterhead. The 21-year-old had spent the first part of the season in and around the Aberdeen first-team and had been part of the matchday squads for our European games.

“It has been brilliant being out on loan at Buckie. It had been a bit of a frustrating time. I was third choice keeper and got to travel to the European games which was brilliant. Going to the games and not playing is hard, but you have to keep yourself going. If you are training everyday but not playing games, then you are not seeing the rewards.

“Once I got settled in at Buckie and I got a run going, I felt comfortable, and it was the best feeling in the world. I was confident going into games and knew I was playing well. I was buzzing for game day. When Monday comes, you are just waiting for Saturday. It has been brilliant and I’ve loved every minute of it.”

Despite joining towards the end of the campaign, Tom has had a big hand in helping Buckie to win a 12^th Highland League title, keeping eight clean sheets in 18 games as Graeme Stewart’s side clinched the championship on goal difference.

“When I first went up there, I knew they had a goalkeeper who had played in the Highland League for years and is one of the best goalkeepers in the league. I knew there was going to be pressure on me, but I was confident I could go there and perform. Even when things are going against me, it fires me up even more.

“I was confident going in with a new bunch of lads that we could go straight after it and win as many games as we could and ultimately win the league. You play football to win things. My last loan move was at Peterhead, and we were bottom of the league, and we only had one win when I was there. It was a different challenge at Peterhead. We tried not to lose games and not to concede but at Buckie, there was no room for error, we had to win every game. Having that different challenge, I thrived on it. Having the pressure of needing to win, you can’t afford to make mistakes. I loved that sort of pressure.

“We play East Kilbride away today and then play them at home the following Saturday. If we win that we then play the team who finishes bottom of League Two. The play-off games are big games and will be a great experience to be involved in. I just want to keep on playing as many games as possible. Playing as many games as I can is the best thing for me.”

Having signed a contract extension earlier this season that will run until next summer, Tom is already casting an eye towards the new campaign that will see him working under Jimmy Thelin when he arrives in the summer.

“I will be going into my sixth year as a full-time professional. The new manager will be coming in, so I think it is a fresh start for everyone.  I am looking forward to it. You have got to go and set an example and hopefully he likes you!”

A very popular character around Cormack Park, everyone at AFC wishes Tom well for the upcoming play-off games.