The future is bright as three extend contracts

This week Dunfermline Athletic were delighted to extend the contracts of their three young prospects Matty Todd, Paul Allan and Lewis McCann. Here is the reaction from the players and their gaffer

Matty Todd was clearly delighted with his new two year deal. He told this website:-

“It is great to be staying another two years at the club that I have grown up supporting and playing with. There have been chats over the last week about keeping me on. I got told today and I am just buzzing.

“I am only eighteen. Being around the first team has been a great experience for me. Me, Lewis and Paul are training with the first team boys every day, it is good.

“The gaffer pulled me aside the other day and told me that he wants to keep me on board. Hopefully next season I can kick on, play even more minutes than I have done this season and last.

“I work hard every day in training to show what I can do. When I get my chance to get my opportunity in the team I just need to take it.”

His manager Stevie Crawford described Matty’s enthusiasm as “infectious” and said:

“He obviously broke into the team last season when it was a tough season. He has an energy, he wants to do well and he is a local boy which is great. He has come through Fife Elite which is important and he knows that the club means something to him as well.

“It has been a little frustrating for him this season. He picked up a bad ankle injury that restricted him but in recent weeks we have seen that Matty is back to himself. He has been in and around the bench of the first team so I’m delighted to bring him in.

“I think there is still a lot that he can learn. We have not seen the best of him in terms of his goal threat. We see it on a daily basis on the training ground. For a midfielder he scores goals from distance consistently. He needs to bring that into reserve football but he is only eighteen years old.”

Matty has made five appearances this season including the one start against Alloa Athletic in the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup but his game time this season only totals 113 minutes. Stevie however expects Matthew to go on a feature more in the seasons ahead:-

“Yes it is the future that we are looking to, but if Matty is playing well enough and doing well enough there is not necessarily a pecking order for places at the club.

“I think Matty is coming back to his best form, he is chapping on the door trying to force his way in. If not into the starting eleven but at least on to the bench at the moment.”

Paul Allan has been out on loan at Brechin City since September and the loan period has been extended until the end of the season. He too was very pleased to sign the extension to his Dunfermline contract:-

“It came as a bit of a surprise since I have been out at Brechin for the first half of the season. I will also be going back out there to continue my development but it is good to get a bit of reassurance from the club that they value me and they want me to be here.”

The extension came as a bit of a relief to the nineteen year old who added:-

“If come the summertime you don’t have something sorted out for your future it can be worrying. It is good to get that reassurance from the club.

“I have put pen to paper because the club has seen my development in training and with playing with Brechin. I have obviously come on a lot so it is good to be here for another two years.”

Paul trains with Brechin on Mondays and Wednesdays and the rest of the week he trains with Dunfermline and that means he only misses out on the Pars Monday session which is recovery anyway.

“I am here for most of the week - Tuesday, Thursday and Friday - then the game on Saturday.”

Paul has made 17 appearances for Brechin City and his game time amounts to 1374 minutes. Jason Dair was at Central Park to witness Paul’s left footed curling finish for City last Saturday and he confirmed the good reports that have come back about Paul’s performances during his loan spell at Glebe Park. Stevie Crawford had the following to say about the nineteen year old:-

“Brechin were very keen to try and take him back on loan. Paul makes football look simple but he is effective with it. Since going out on loan, if you speak to any of the coaching staff they would tell you that they feel that Paul has kicked on in terms of the physicality side of things. He is now playing men’s football where there is the challenge of trying to win games.

“A wee think that meant a lot to us as coaches was when Paul picked up an ankle injury with Brechin struggling at the foot of the table and fighting to stay in the league. I think Paul missed one game and showed his commitment and showed that he has also got that determination to try and help the team. Other players could have sat on that treatment table.

“Paul seems to have matured in those six months and he is deserving of us rewarding him with that because of the performances he has had out there. He is again a player that we see getting better day by day.”

Lewis McCann said that it was a surprise and nice that the club approached him about extending his contract:

“It shows that they value you. It is always nice to get a contract of this length because it locks down your future. It means that I can focus on football and not be worried that my contract is running out.”

This season Lewis has made 17 appearances, including 7 starts, for the first team and currently his game time amounts to 674 minutes on the park. He continued:-

“I have enjoyed getting game time, it shows that the gaffer trusts you. I hope that it continues that way and that this is a wee boost for me, get my confidence up and I can show what I can.

“I love being at Dunfermline, it is brilliant. I like the people here, the main thing is enjoying where you are at and you are with good people. That is what Dunfermline have done well, I have bonded quite well into the team.”

Lewis’ inclusion in the Northern Ireland international squads at Under 19 and at Under 21 have been a further confidence booster for him:-

“It is obviously nice when someone else recognises that you are doing well.”

Stevie Crawford pointed out that Lewis of the three is the one who has had most game time in the first team and he has managed to force his way into the Northern Ireland set up.

“He is another one that we see with a big future ahead of him. We should not expect too much too early from him. Albeit he will get opportunities at the club, I know that he is desperate to try and get his first goal as all young strikers are. We have full faith in his ability and we are absolutely delighted that he has committed himself to the club for a further two years.”

Lewis has attracted the attention of bigger clubs due to his international appearances and Stevie repeated the view he has already expressed about first team players attracting attention:-

“If Kevin is drawing attention, anyone doing their job properly will be looking at our other players. It is a good headache to have.

“Lewis came through the Fife Elite Football Academy. I see a maturity in him that wasn’t there last year, his first year involved in full time football. Physically he is getting stronger day by day.

“With his brother Ali being at St Johnstone on a similar pathway up there will help Lewis with some of the challenges that are ahead of him.”

Which position did Stevie see Lewis developing in?

“Lewis has something to offer in the wider areas but we have managed to bring in Ethan, Dom and we have Ryan Dow who is probably more natural in that position. It is not to day that we will not use Lewis there but I do think longer term Lewis will be a striker. He has good feet, his linking is decent and he can get better at that.”

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