Kyle Turner one to watch

“You need to get really fit to play in this league because it is a fast league with some good teams in it. You need to be able to match them with fitness.”

Twenty one year old Kyle Turner joined Dunfermline from Stranraer on a two year contract but his early development was all around his Renfrewshire roots.

As a young kid Kyle started out at St Mirren and was there for seven or eight years before he went back to St Peters Boys Club. Then he went on to play under 17 at Partick Thistle and a few under 20s games before going back to his local boys club, Glentyan Thistle in Kilbarchan.

The team was made up of a lot of Kyle’s friends and they won the league before he signed for Stranraer under 20s. He explained his sudden promotion to senior football with the Stairs Park club and playing alongside some well known former Pars:-

“After two weeks there Brian Reid put me in the first team and was there ever since for four years. I played with Steven Bell for a couple of years, Willie Gibson, Andrew Stirling and Ryan Thomson.”

Kyle’s debut came in September 2015 and he scored 19 goals in his 138 appearances for the Blues. That paved the way for interest from Dunfermline Athletic:-

“My agent told me that Dunfermline had been watching quite a few of my games and were keen to get me in. My contract was up at Stranraer so I am happy to come to full time football.”

Kyle has progressed every year. His appearances and goal ratio has gone up year by year and while hoping that fans don’t expect too much too early, Stevie Crawford feels that the player is ready for the next challenge - stepping up to full time football. That is something that Kyle is looking forward to:-

“I want to play week in week out but I need to establish myself and prove that I can play at this level. Stranraer is a part time club and training twice a week. Here you are training every day so it is just getting up to speed with all the boys who have been full time.

“I don’t think I am that far away fitness wise but you have to be up to match fitness because it is completely different from playing in a game.

“You need a good pre season because when it comes to January and February, that is when you find out if your fitness is still there. It is always going to be tough, we knew that when we came in.

“You need to get really fit to play in this league because it is a fast league with some good teams in it. You need to be able to match them with fitness.”

Albeit as a late sub in two league games where the result was already as good as settled Kyle played for Stranraer against Dunfermline in season 2015-2016. He has now played a lot of competitive football and the exciting thing for his new gaffer is that he is a player who is coming up the way rather than somebody stepping back down the way.

His new manager however has not given any indication of where he might play him. Kyle commented:-

“He came and watched me a couple of times last season. He could see that I could play right across the midfield which he likes. So wherever he wants to play me I will give him everything that I have got. I am quite adaptable but my preference is in the middle of the park, if I am needed to play out left then that is fine.

“I like getting up and down the park, box to box I would say and I have plenty of energy for that. I scored nine last year so I just want to try and better myself every year.”

Kyle is one of eight new faces at East End Park this season but this new arrival does have several acquaintances as his new team mates:-

“I am good friends with Paul Paton, he stays only five minutes away from my house. We have been on holiday with each other in the summer so it was a surprise when he text me to say that he was coming here.

“I played with Kevin Nisbet at Partick Thistle as a young boy. I know some of the boys just from playing against them like Andy Ryan when he was at Airdrie.”

Now there is another tough week of pre season training before Kyle and his team mates can see in the first friendly how well they are coming together as a team. He concluded:-

“I just need to get the games in. We have done a lot of running in pre season, I am just looking forward to the first friendlies coming up starting off next Saturday against Forfar. You always want game time to try and get your fitness for the BetFred Cup.”

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