Roaming Role Right for Ryan

“There is nothing better if you are an attacking player to have freedom to go into areas and you are not stuck to that one position.”

Ryan Dow was always confident that goals would come in Saturday’s home clash against Queen of the South. Selected for the second successive Saturday to speak to the media he said:-

“We felt comfortable in the match, always creating and didn’t really feel like we were going to concede. We were solid, it was just about being patient and wait to get the chance.

“We probably had more chances in the first half, wee half chances and a Nizzy volley but it is just about trying to stay calm, being patient and we know that goal will come because we know that we are a threat on the attack.

“Last Saturday I felt our performance was actually decent, we followed it up on Tuesday and then again on Saturday with a comfortable win in the end.”

It was Ryan who opened the scoring with a 57th minute goal which he was happy to describe:-

“Kiltie played a good ball into me and I took a good first touch and then a lot of the boys said that I should maybe have gone down but I stumbled a bit, thought that I had lost my footing but managed to regain my footing and hit it hard and it has gone in.

“I was delighted to get that first goal because it took the pressure off a wee bit. They came into it but Nizzy got the goal to round it all off. I thought we were always a threat, especially on the counter.”

His goal against Queen of the South was his fourth of the season so far and so he is already only one short of his last season tally at Peterhead. The 28 year old admitted that improving on his goal scoring was something he had discussed with Stevie Crawford when signing in the summer.

“It is something that has always really annoyed me that I have not scored enough goals. I know that I am capable of getting them and that is what managers have always said. I create chances it is just kind of getting that wee run of goals. Obviously I have started off the season well so I am just hoping that I can continue to score and create some goals.”

Praise has been heaped upon the Pars forwards by their gaffer with Ryan combining well with Greg Kiltie, Kevin Nisbet and Andy Ryan. It is clear that good understanding is developing amongst the attacking force:-

“In the last few games we have had a lot of good movement, boys getting in behind and coming to feet making it difficult for defenders because we are always moving. It is no one sitting in set positions. It is obviously down to the gaffer gives us a freedom that we can all interchange and be as much of a threat as we can.”

With such options upfront the manager’s headache is just how to fit them in every time but Ryan is happy playing out wide:-

“Kiltie is also playing out wide but I don’t think we are both out and out wingers, we are just given a freedom to roam. Defensively obviously we know our job but there is nothing better if you are an attacking player to have freedom to go into areas and you are not stuck to that one position.”

Injury meant that Ryan missed three matches at the end of August / start of September and returned to the team possibly too soon meaning that he has playing with a bit of pain but he claims that is not affecting his game:-

“I took a hit on my knee on Tuesday and then again with ten minutes to go (against Queens). It is nothing bad just one of those ones.

“Eventually it went away and then I got hit on it on Tuesday. It will probably take another couple of weeks to fully go away. It is nothing bad, I can play through it, just as long as it doesn’t keep me out.”

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