McCabe wiser for Owls' experience

Rhys McCabe gave his first interview as Pars player to the website on Friday.

"It has been a long process but the gaffer, Sandy and the club have been true to their word. They said that they would let me explore other ventures but the door was always open so I was glad to get it finalised and back playing."

The 23 year old feels he can settle in at East End Park and knows several from playing against them.

"I am just glad to get signed. Hopefully I can add goals and assists to help the team. In training I score loads but the team has been doing really well so I can't expect to go into the team without fighting like everyone else.

"I would like to think that I can bring something a little bit extra, hopefully that can go in my favour. I will just have to wait, bide my time and make sure that I prepare myself properly so that when the chance comes I am ready to take it."

Manager Allan Johnston confessed that Rhys was a player he had liked for a while:-

"He is a creative player who we have been trying to get on board. I know that we are light on defenders and trying to bring them in as well but when you get the chance of bringing in someone of Rhys' quality you have to try and get him in.

"He has played at a good level but wants to kick start his career and realises that this is a big club where he has the chance to do that here. It is all about him going out and making sure that he makes an impact this season. His attitude since coming in has been fantastic and you can see the quality that he adds to our squad."

Rhys is a central midfielder and that is not a position where the squad is light of numbers but the manager feels that his new signing is different from what his other midfielders offer. Rhys himself feels that could be goals from midfield and assists, he continued:-

"I would like to think that I am attacking minded so if I can create chances for the strikers and other lads then I am doing my job. Obviously the more goals we score the more chance we have of winning the game."

The manager added his views on the role his new man might play:-

"He can either play deep or as the more creative one in the middle. Hopefully he can score a few goals from that area. Nobody is guaranteed to play, it doesn't matter who they are, it is all about making sure that every day you are working as hard as you can and pushing the people in front of you to try and get into the team.

"We have got a lot of good players who are desperate to play and they will get their chance going by the way they are working behind the scenes."

Rhys was at Rangers from the age of 9 where he alongside Nicky Clark was coached by Sandy Clark. Re-united at Dunfermline, Rhys is looking forward to work again with him and Allan Johnston.

"Both of them are positive guys and their ambition was one of the main factors. The club is underachieving and they have their sights set on where they think the club should be and I think that is a very realistic target and one that they should really go for."

He enjoyed his time at Sheffield Wednesday playing in the Championship and learning a lot both on and off the pitch.

"I feel that I matured both as a player and a person. I look back happy that I did it but now my focus is to get back playing every Saturday and doing my thing to help the team."

The Dunfermline connection was formed even before Rhys left Sheffield. There former Pars utility man, Lee Bullen was the coach in the Wednesday reserves and as Rhys became restricted to appearances off the bench he found himself in Bully's side to keep up his fitness.

"We played a lot of reserve and bounce games and Bully was involved with a lot of them. I got on really well with him, we shared Scottish banter and he has sent me a text hoping that things go well for the future. I enjoyed working with him and I really liked him.

"Now I have my sights set, so has the manager and the squad. We have our sights set on promotion and I don't think anything else is acceptable."

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