Jordon Brown: Peterhead return made perfect sense after leaving Cove Rangers

A return to Peterhead made perfect sense for Jordon Brown after his departure from Cove Rangers.

Brown left the League Two champions just before Christmas in search of more game-time, bringing to an end a two-year stint at the Balmoral Stadium, and is gearing up to return to Peterhead when the transfer window opens.

Reuniting with his former manager Jim McInally at Peterhead, where he spent five years prior to joining Cove, until the end of the season was the logical move to make.

Brown said: “I had a few phone calls the night it got announced. When I spoke to Jim – he’s someone I trust and know really well, having been here for five years.

“It’s a bit of a no-brainer, especially with my brother Jason being here as well. I went up to the game last Tuesday to see all the boys and I got a good welcome.

“I left on good terms, went to Cove and achieved and what we wanted to achieve in getting up to the Scottish leagues. I look back at what we achieved there, I take pride in it, but the time had come to move on.

“I’d rode it out as long as I think was possible at Cove and tried my best to get on the pitch. But it wasn’t to be. To have this sorted last week and have that peace of mind was great.”

Brown played more than 150 times for the Blue Toon after leaving Aberdeen in 2013, featuring in the League Two title win in 2014 and the run to the Challenge Cup final in 2016.

He switched to Cove two years later in a bid to help them get out of the Highland League and into the SPFL, something which he achieved in his first season with the club.

However, Brown did not start a league game for the club after promotion, appearing nine times from the bench, with a handful of starts coming in the Challenge Cup and Betfred Cup.

Mrs Brown's Boys – Does anyone know what they are up to on Saturday?

— Peterhead FC (@pfcofficial) December 29, 2020

He added: “I still felt I could contribute to the team and a lot of my good friends are there. It’s not going to be easy at Peterhead, as there’s a lot of good players, but (it was) just about having that trust again – trying to affect the game and get on the pitch again scoring goals.

“I think if we hadn’t had the pandemic, I would have had a bigger decision to make in the summer. When minutes are limited sometimes it’s too far out of your hands and I can’t put into words how frustrating it’s been.

“If it wasn’t for the boys there and the pandemic, I would probably have had to leave sooner.”

Ironically, his first game for Peterhead could be against Cove on Saturday, should his registration be completed on time.

Brown will initially sign until the end of the season, but also has eyes on a longer-term stay at Balmoor.

He said: “A couple of Cove boys have been on at me – a lot of them are my best pals, in and out of football. I’ve not started a league game in a long time and don’t expect to start on Saturday.

“But I hope to be involved. I’m not naïve – I’ve taken on a lot in the last 18 months and know I’ll have a fight to get on the pitch. When I do, I just hope I can have an impact.

“Saturday would be good, but I’m looking more longer term, build the fitness up week by week and get in the starting line-up as the weeks go on.”