Our attacking options received a boost on the eve of the 2024/25 season with the signing of Grant Rose, a 24-year-old striker with experience of playing for BSC Glasgow (now Broomhill), Bo’ness Athletic and – while working in the area last season – with Aberdeen club Hermes.
Grant spent the final three and a half months of 2018 as a Hi Hi’s player whilst on loan from Berwick Rangers – with 13 goals in the same number of competitive outings he was our second top Goalscorer during that first senior season, leading the scorer chart until he was eventually overtaken by Andy Jones.
We interviewed Grant for a recent match programme shortly before last month’s meeting with Tynecastle FC in which he scored a hat-trick – making him our current joint top scorer with Tom Davies. This came just a week after he scored a double in our fantastic 7-1 away win at Luncarty.
Recent performances have shown that, after a short injury enforced spell on the sidelines (and despite currently being suspended), Grant looks set to be a major attacking asset to Scott Bonar’s side going forward.
If you missed the recent programme interview, we’re republishing it here. Look out for more great articles in our next edition, which will be published for our home match versus Edinburgh University on Saturday, 16 November.
To what extent was your previous spell at Haddington Athletic a factor in signing for the club in the summer?
“A big reason for signing was my memory of my previous spell here. I knew it was a good club with good people. That’s really important. In the summer I was looking for a club that played the right style of football. I had been in touch with Keyz (assistant manager Kieran Ainslie) and Scott (Bonar, manager) and was delighted to get the opportunity.
“It’s a team that wants to play football with the ball on the ground and play a lot of passing, while looking to create chances. It can be hard at this level. Everyone wants to play football that way. It can sometimes take a while for things to work as well as you’d like, but as long as everyone has the same thoughts, you’ll find yourself heading in the right direction. The match against Luncarty (when we won 7-1 earlier this month) was definitely our best performance of the season up to that point.”
You got off to a great start, scoring on your debut against Glenrothes?
“I was really happy to score on my debut. It rounded off a really good win and was a very positive start to the season. Unfortunately, I then picked up an injury. It took a while to get going again but I then scored two goals against Luncarty, which was a great feeling.”
How does the club compare now to when you were last here in 2018?
“It definitely feels like the club is at a higher level, but has kept the same empathy with the community. It’s a nice place to play football with a home ground that is always well kept. There are still a few faces I remember from the last time and although a lot has changed on and off the park and there has been a step up in the level, it was nice to see there are things that have stayed the same. It’s a good club with a vision and is closely linked to the community.”
You played in the Bo’ness Athletic side that defeated us in the League Cup Semi-Final in 2023 and went on to win the competition. That must have been a great experience and a career highlight?
“Yes, we played a League Cup Semi Final against Haddington. Bo’ness had lost a few of those matches previously so it was a big game for us. We edged it 1-0. It wasn’t an easy game but one that was enjoyable to play in. It was a good night for Bo’ness. Yes, winning the cup with Bo’ness was really nice. Another footballing highlight for me personally was when I was at Berwick, we played against Hibs at home in front of a big crowd. They were a good side with some big names in the team. I also played for Berwick against Queens Park at Hampden. Although it wasn’t a 50,000 crowd, it was a really good experience getting to play at the National Stadium.”
What are your thoughts on the East of Scotland Premier Division and the season so far?
“I think anyone can beat anyone. It’s a really competitive division. Any team at the bottom can take points off a team at the top. We want to keep our heads together and push on. Hopefully we can get a good run together. It was obviously disappointing to go out of the Scottish Cup but there is plenty more football to be played and other cups to contest. We want to push up as high as we can in the league. The main thing is to win games and go on a good run. Obviously, the club did really well last year getting to the League Cup Final. If we could do something like that again, that would be a real positive.
“The club has a really nice feel. It’s a great bunch of boys. We always have a good laugh at training and games, whilst working hard. I’m really enjoying being back. Getting that injury in training was a dampener but hopefully I can put it behind me. I played 90 minutes in the Scottish Cup and played a couple of other times but felt a bit rusty but I feel I’m getting back to where I want to be.”
You seem to have fitted in well and it’s good to see other new players like Luke Kennedy doing well and scoring goals. You’ve also formed a good partnership with Tom Davies?
“Yes, I actually know Luke from when we were both younger. He’s a really good player who has done well since he joined the club in the summer. Tom is also a great player who I enjoy playing with. The more we play together, the better the partnership will get. I could see there was potential from the start.”
What interests do you have?
“I love watching football. I’m a Liverpool fan. I love watching the Premier League. I’m also trying to get back to golf. I’m trying to get better at it, playing on a Sunday. A big part of it is just going round the course – that’s really enjoyable. Yes, there are some really good golfers in the team like Ali Simpson. Hopefully, I can improve a bit!”
What do you do for a living?
“I work at Borders College where I lecture in core skills/life skills. I only started that in August. But I’m enjoying being back home, working close to home and playing football not too far away. After my year in Aberdeen, it’s nice to be back and to feel a bit more settled.”
