Hunger for success

23/06/19: “Ross has shown that he is willing to back us, he has put a lot of faith in us and the direction that we are going in to now back another one coming from the lower divisions.

Twenty two year old Tom Lang was Dunfermline’s tenth new face in the first team squad for the season that will start on Saturday with the pre season friendly at Station Park, Forfar.

Following the departure of Jackson Longridge to Bradford a City the management team felt that there was a need for one further defender in the squad. The manager discussed his thinking behind bringing in the former Rangers youth:-

“We have added Tom since we felt that having lost Jackson Longridge, that although Euan Murray and Lewis Martin give us flexibility since they can play anywhere across the back four, both of them can play at left back and we have Lee Ashcroft and Danny Devine as well, but we want real competition in all areas.”

In last season’s Championship only champions Ross County conceded less goals than Dunfermline but Stevie Crawford is addressing every element as tries to build a successful side for the coming season. He continued:-

“It was probably a side of our game last season where we did reasonably well in terms of the goals against column. But what the competition for places brings is giving defenders the opportunity to go and do something going forward.

“I have always said that strikers are not just about putting the ball in the back of the net, they have the responsibility to help defenders get clean sheets.

“It is great that we have managed to add another addition in Tom. He comes in to fight for his place and on top of that I still think we need another wider player to come in.

“Ross (McArthur) and the board have backed me so far to bring in the personnel that we have brought in. We need to take stock and evaluate where we are at and maybe just being a little more patient until the right one comes us.”

The defender was capped ten times for Scotland at under 17 level and his new gaffer described him as a very confident young man:-

“He is confident in his own ability. He is assured on the ball, has a good range of passing and the thing that strikes us about Tom is he is grateful of the chance of full time football again. He has been in and around it when he was younger, had to step away from it and I think he was excited when Dunfermline were interested in him.

“Like some of the other signings as well, he will only get better if he had apply himself in the right manner. He is jumping up from League Two but he doesn’t seem phased by it when I am talking to him. He is fully aware that we have other defenders who can play in that centre back position and he is going to have to compete for places.”

The players coming in have appreciated how that Dunfermline have had them watched and that time has been taken to try and target people.

“We are thankful that we got that one over the line. Probably Jackson moving on was a big factor in us getting the balance to bring in Euan Murray and Tom.

“Ross has shown that he is willing to back us, he has put a lot of faith in us and the direction that we are going in to now back another one coming from the lower divisions. There is a hunger there and something that excites us.”

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