Matthew Aitken is aiming to make the cut at Forfar second time round – just 12 months after he was axed by the Station Park side.
Aitken was released by Loons last summer as he struggled to find form as he returned from a serious knee injury.
However, after heading off to Albion Rovers to become joint second top scorer in League Two last year the Auchterarder based barber has penned a two-year deal at the Angus club.
“I left Forfar on good terms last year,” said former St Johnstone youngster Aitken. “The old manager Stuart Malcolm met me and told me his reasons for letting me go and I accepted them.
Confidence
“I had to go somewhere different to try and find myself and it worked out really well at Albion Rovers.
“They are a great club and I managed to get my confidence back through scoring some goals. I never imagined I’d be back at Forfar so soon but here I am!
“I had a few clubs interested but as soon as Gary Irvine called I wanted to make the move.
“I’ve got a lot of history with Forfar after spending four years with them. They stuck by me when I damaged my cartilage and paid for my operation.
“They are a good club and always do the best for the players so it’s an easy decision to come here again.”
Barber
Aitken, 23, has had a rollercoaster year off the park after Covid-19 put his new role as a Perthshire barber under threat.
The striker gave up landscape gardening to retrain in hairdressing but was quickly out of work due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“I had only been working as a barber for three months when I had to stop everything,” said Aitken.
“I rent a chair and have to build up my own client list and I thought it was gone forever.
“Because I’d only been self-employed for a few months I also never qualified for any grants so I had to go looking for more work.
“Thankfully, I got back into landscape gardening and my clients have all come back since the shop has been able to re-open.
“I think everyone is pleased to see us back open. I’ve seen some shocking Covid cuts over the last few weeks but thankfully I’ve been able to repair them!”
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