Todorov excited by new era

“I am really excited about it but I just need to keep my head down, and everyone in the changing room as well, and we keep working hard

How things can change in football. In July when Nikolay Todorov spoke after a 4-2 away win over Partick Thistle he had just opened his Dunfermline account with two goals in his debut game. He would score four goals in his first five games and he was full of optimism saying that he had joined Dunfermline to win the league.

Four months on, he had scored only one goal in his next 14 appearances and in contrast to euphoria of the Premier Sports Cup victory, he had just played in a Dunfermline side that had been knocked out of the Scottish Cup in the Third Round. Nikolay felt that the result was disappointing especially after the experience of the last two weeks under a new manager and back to back wins:-

“Everyone has been buzzing around the place, the result is disappointing for us. I don’t think that there was very much between the teams in the game. I had a few shots just before Partick went and scored. We had a chance, that’s just football you know but it was a great finish from the guy.

“We won’t forget what has been happening for the last few weeks and every time, every day we are going to go try and build up to improve our performance, to improve how we want to play as a team and everyone has seen in the last few weeks how we have been performing.”

Nikolay Todorov and John Hughes have several former clubs in common with Nikolay arriving at Livingston, Falkirk and Inverness Caley Thistle after Hughes tenure as manager at those clubs had ended. The Bulgarian striker claimed that teaming up with John Hughes had been great not just for him but for everyone:-

“He is trying to improve us all as players and our mentality. It is a good challenge and it is really exciting that he is here and I am really looking forward to working with him.”

Nikolay has started 8 of the Pars 15 league matches and has been a substitute in another 5 league matches. After starting the first twelve Dunfermline matches this season, he has started just one of the last nine Dunfermline matches.

“I have had a few chats with him, obviously the team has been doing well in the last few weeks and I don’t think anyone deserved to be dropped. I know, and the fans know, what I am capable of.

“I want to play for this manager and this club. At every club when the team is not doing well the most that suffer are the strikers. I was doing well at the start of the season and that has changed in the last few weeks so it is only fair to stick with the team that has been doing well.

“That is football, you wait for your chance, you work hard and in those times you try and improve in every area possible. I am ready, I felt quite sharp on Friday and I had two shots. The first one was a great block by the defender. I hope that my turn comes but I have patience and as I said the team has been doing very well.”

“As a team we have not had the greatest of starts but personally I have contributed with a few goals and a few assists. For me it is about getting back into the team and start scoring and start assisting again.”

The Pars striker who was signed by Peter Grant in June this year recognises that the Championship is no easy league to get promoted from:-

“If you look at the league there is not much between the teams. Obviously the top five are very close and the bottom five are close but I think it is really catchable. When you put a good run of four or five games which I think we are capable of doing I think they are catchable.”

The 25 year old signed for Dunfermline after making 63 appearances over two seasons at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Last season the Highlanders had only four league points by mid November but Inverness lost only five of their last 24 league games to miss out on the play offs just one point behind Dunfermline. Nikolay was Inverness’ top goalscorer in the last league campaign and understands what it takes to climb the league:-

“I have been part of stuff like that and I can feel something special is happening at the minute with the manager. I am really excited about it but I just need to keep my head down, and everyone in the changing room as well, and we keep working hard. It is a hard league but we have more than enough in the changing room to put a very very good run in to climb up to where we belong.”

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