Pullen aiming to win trophies with Brora after leaving Wick
Gary Pullen has underlined his ambition to win trophies at Highland League level after making the switch from Wick Academy to Brora Rangers.
The 20-year-old midfielder from Golspie signed for the Sutherland club until the summer of 2027 and declared that the transfer was “always going to be my next move”.
Pullen joined for an undisclosed fee during the week before Christmas after impressing Brora manager Steven Mackay.
In his 18 months at Academy, Pullen made 58 appearances and scored 10 goals. He made his Brora debut when he came on as a substitute in a 5-0 victory over Lossiemouth at Dudgeon Park on December 28.
“It is a great move as it probably is the best team for me to join as they are local for me,” Pullen said. “I have obviously done something good if I have ended up signing here.
“It was always going to be my next move. The move was probably going to happen in the summer if it wasn’t going to happen now.
“The clubs came to an agreement and I was obviously happy with that. I was out of contract at Wick in the summer, and Brora were going for the league.
“It was a matter of moving now or then, and it is good to get a few months under my belt. Now I want to help Brora kick on and look to win the league this season.
“I don’t want to finish my career without winning any trophies. Brora Rangers are a team where there is a need to do that.
“I am going from one end of the spectrum to the other. But football is all about winning trophies and medals.”
Pullen started his football career within the youth set-up at Alness United. He then joined Golspie Sutherland and helped them to win the North Caledonian League in the 2020/21 season.
He was named as the North Caledonian League’s young player of the year for 2022/23 before joining Wick Academy. He had also turned out for Wick Thistle in the Caithness county league.
Pullen, who works as a plumber, says he will always be grateful for the chance Academy gave him to prove himself at Highland League level.
“I only missed one game at Wick and that was through illness,” he said. “I really enjoyed my time at Wick Academy and they gave me my chance to play in the Highland League.
“I have ended up signing for Brora Rangers because of the opportunity I got at Wick. They believed in me and I can’t thank them enough.
“They were very easy-going when I decided to sign for Brora. But Brora Rangers is the next step for me.
“The quality of the players in the squad can only help me become a better player and I need to be like a sponge and soak it up.
“I want to win trophies and be here for a long time. We have to look at winning the league this season too – that has to be the ambition of this club.”
Brora are two points behind leaders Brechin City at the top of the table, having played the same number of games.
As previously reported, Pullen’s transfer to Brora was described as “a deal that suited all parties” by Wick manager Gary Manson.
Manson said: “Gary’s contract was up in summer 2025. Brora wanted him, Gary wanted to go, and if we’d kept him we would have received no money for him.
“He wasn’t asking for a transfer, he wasn’t pushing to move. He made it quite clear he was really happy where he was, but he wanted to explore the options available to him.”