Another important player tied down

James McPake discusses the importance of Aaron Comrie’s new contract

James McPake is pleased to have agreed terms on a new two year deal with Aaron Comrie. A long time admirer of the full back James was delighted that he was on the books when he arrived to take charge at Dunfermline in May last year.

This season Aaron was near ever present in the Dunfermline team taking his appearances to 143 and only ten off the bench. It is the 26 year old’s consistency and steadiness in both games and in training that instils the manager’s faith in the player:-

"You know what you`re getting, and that`s not just in a game. Every single day in training he sets a standard for himself, and for the rest of the team. He`s just a great person to work with. He`s shown quality over this season, and he`s a player I`ve known for a while as well, so I`m really delighted he`s going to be here for the next couple of years."

Continuity

Aaron’s presence will mean Dunfermline will have regulars Comrie, Benedictus, Breen and Edwards all available in defence for the next Championship season and James continued:-

"It’s another important one tied down that`s been part of a successful defence, and a very decent Dunfermline team in the Championship in the past as well. That`s when I first saw him and, I know I keep saying this, about every player, or a lot of them anyway, but Aaron`s a player that we did look at when we were at Dundee as well. That`s the truth.

“It`s now, I think when you get to work with him, you just appreciate just how consistent he is, and that`s not easy. That`s not saying that`s all he is either. He`s not just consistent, he`s one of those players in my opinion that, at times, a bit like Dave Mackay, can go a bit under the radar. It`s when you work with them, or play beside them, or you go and watch them time after time, you see what they bring to the team and, as a person, he`s top class."

Burying disappointment of 2021-2022

Aaron is just one of a dozen Pars players that James McPake worked with who were part of the squad he inherited. He claimed that his task was made easier after positive first impressions of the players willingness to do whatever asked:-

"I knew a lot of them. I knew some of them personally, like Craig Wighton for example - I`d played with him, and done stuff with him in terms of rehab. You come in and it`s a belief, and you hear it, that it`s a clean slate for everyone. It wasn`t just that - it was just a case of coming in and assessing a squad of players. It was tough work pre-season, and there were concerns in terms of just how bad the hangover, or how the group would be, after relegation, and that can happen.”

Vote of confidence

"Going back to Aaron, he`s one that I knew. I actually called Aaron last summer - I didn`t go through the full squad - but I called him, and I know he was disappointed with the way last season ended for the club, and personally for himself, because he had been used to being in the team most of the time.

"He was one I called and said right away that I was looking forward to working with him. I just had a chat with him and he`s not let me down, but I don`t think anybody has this season, and that`s credit to them and the work that they put in.

"We know we do need to strengthen. We need to be better again going into a really tough division, so we`re now happy in terms of what we`ve seen of the group we`ve got, and we`ll keep working away in the background."

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