On loan Ross County player out to be an Elgin marvel
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MATTHEW Wright is determined to use his Elgin City loan spell as another big stepping stone towards first team action at Ross County.
The gifted young goalscorer from Western Isles remains a work in progress for manager Malky Mackay who recognises his raw potential.
With six substitute bows so far for the Staggies, the natural finisher memorably sprang from the bench against Rangers in January 2022 to score the equaliser.
Carefully planned loans have enabled Wright to build invaluable senior experience, with a prolific half-season stint at Brora Rangers followed by spells at Montrose and Falkirk.
At 20, his pathway from village football with Point near Stornoway to the SPFL is unique and there is still plenty to learn.
But the youngster’s dedication to the dream is apparent and should he be forced to make a career elsewhere, it will not be down to lack of effort or commitment.
Fresh from netting his first for Elgin at home to East Fife, Wright said: “I scored three against Nairn in pre-season, and I had a chat with (Mackay) about other bits of my game I still need to work on. It was him telling me where I am, where I can be, and what I need to do to get there.
“For any younger player, it’s not easy to break through. You are up against players with slightly more experience who have maybe come up from England.
“Hopefully, between now and January, I will play every game for Elgin and if I score a lot of goals I will speak to the manager. If he wants to take me back, hopefully it will be an option to prove myself here.
“If not, I will stay at Elgin or maybe look elsewhere. For now, though, I’m just out to enjoy my time at Elgin, play a lot of football, and see what happens.”
Scoring his first for the Borough Briggs side was a boost after a tough spell at Falkirk.
Despite the thrill of a substitute’s appearance in the Scottish Cup final defeat to Caley Thistle, Wright admitted: “At Falkirk, John McGlynn told me to play my own game, and hopefully play myself into the team. I had a few chances I didn’t score and that weighed on me a little bit. That what happens in football sometimes, but it’s all about the experience. At Falkirk I didn’t play a lot, but in the first half of the season at Montrose I played about 20 games, starting half of them, and scored a few goals.
“I have experienced both sides of it so hopefully in the future I can learn from the good spells as well as the more difficult times.”
