Rhys Breen signs up for two years

Twenty three year old central defender agrees new deal

Dunfermline centre back Rhys Breen has described his new two year contract as brilliant. Despite discussions being an ongoing thing getting the deal over the line was important to him. He told the media:-

“It has been a really really good season for me. I thought it would be quite stupid not to sign a deal here especially with the boys and the way that I was progressing here. It was a no brainier for me and finally I have been able to sign it. It is something that I have wanted to get done, I’m glad that I have done it now.

“I have had a really good season and obviously to get the trophy at the end was unreal and it is only now that it is starting to process that we have gone and done that. I feel that I have had a really good season and I can’t wait for the challenge ahead.”

Rhys played a lot of games this season, many more than his eleven appearances last season. This season he has played the full game in 28 matches. He continued:-

“I kind of forgot about it because I had missed out in the last five or six games. It went out my head a wee bit but the guys and the manager have told me how much of a part I have played this season, sometimes I forget about it but it has been an amazing, amazing season for me. I can’t wait for the challenge next season.”

Rhys dismissed the reported rumours about interest from other clubs but it was evident that staying at Dunfermline was always his preference:-

“These kind of rumours go about but I think it was not something that I was interested in. I was always interested in signing here again. In football you always get rumours but I am glad that I’m signing here and that’s the only thing that matters.”

Rhys was near ever present for the first 34 games of the Dunfermline season and he formed a formidable central defensive partnership with captain Kyle Benedictus. Rhys praised the good effect of the 31 year old partner:-

“The character, the personality from Kyle with his experience has been a big thing throughout the season. Looking at me last season compared to this season, the partnership that me and him have got has been unreal. Hopefully next season I can keep picking up little things from him.

“I also have a really good relationship with the manager, everybody has in the team. That is something that I’m really grateful for and it is something that I don’t ever take for granted.”

James McPake has placed trust in Rhys who continued:-

“Last season that was the one thing that was lacking. The manager didn’t have trust in me, he didn’t believe in my ability. Over the course of the pre season that I came back I had to make sure that I was fit. I had to go and prove a point really and I feel that I have done that. It is only one season. I have had a good season and I need to look into the future and make sure next season is going to be even better than I had this season.”

A hamstring injury incurred in the home match against FC Edinburgh in mid March brought an early end to the Rhys Breen season but he revealed his recovery is well underway:-

“I have started running and I will be in two or three times a week over the summer to keep myself right for the season ahead. Over the course of my break I will be in a week earlier than the lads. I’m happy to go ahead and do that because I know next season is going to be a big challenge for me.

“People might think footballers don’t get a lot of time off in the summer but for me to come in and keep myself right is a big thing for me. I just need to make sure that I’m attacking the next season right. With the momentum and the way the team is I feel we have a right good challenge ahead of us next year. If we put our minds towards it, we can do really well again.

“The Championship is a different kind of league, it is a different challenge. No doubt in pre season we will be going over the teams that we will be facing, we will be changing our game plan but I think the main thing for us is to keep doing what you are doing. The hard work on and off the pitch is why we won the league this season. It wasn’t necessarily anything to do with the football ability, it was just due to the hard work and then the footballing ability speaks for itself.”

James McPake< is looking forward to working with Rhys next season. He added:-

"I’m delighted for him, he has been excellent. The injury curtailed his season but he`s shown how important he is - from day one. I spoke on record before, but he came in and showed how much he wanted to work, how much he wanted to learn.

"Over the course of the season we`ve seen him - and I don`t mean down to coaching - just down to how hard he`s worked and how quickly he`s taken things on board. It`s mostly down to Rhys, with the form he`s had and the progressions.

"He`s still a young age for a centre-back, he`s rapid quick, he`s left-footed and he`s someone I`m delighted I`m going to get the chance to work with over the next couple of seasons.

"It`s down to him. He came back in very good condition. In his own head he had a disappointing last season, before this one. He came back in, probably with a real point to prove to himself. He wanted to go out and show that he can be a first-team player at this football club."

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