A new don in Dunfermline

Ethan Ross - “ I have been to Dubai so I don’t need to go again do I?“

Western Asia or West Fife? How many Scots would miss out on January sun in the Middle East to subject themselves to the wet and wind of winter in Fife? It was a straight forward decision for the Pars most recent signing Ethan Ross to snap up the chance to come to Dunfermline and miss out on Aberdeen’s winter break in Dubai.

Aberdeen will fly out to the United Arab Emirates for a week-long warm weather training camp on Tuesday. Like last season Ethan would have been included but he is delighted to checking in at Halbeath Road instead.

“East End Park is just as good as. As soon as I knew Dunfermline were keen I was ready to go. If I’d stayed at Aberdeen then you never know they might have come in and got somebody else. I knew when this opportunity came that I had to take it and that’s what I have done.”

Eighteen year old Ethan Ross went straight into Stevie Crawford’s starting eleven on Saturday against Ayr United and he hopes emulate the success of fellow Don, Bruce Anderson who was a loan arrival this time last season, as he follows in the footsteps.

“Bruce had nothing but good to say about the club. I am looking to get as much game time as I can out of the loan, a bit of match experience at a really high level. The Championship in Scotland is a really good level and I look to come here, try and play as many games as possible and help the team as much as I can.”

In October 2019 Ethan started his first first team game for Aberdeen against Hibs and has made six appearances off the bench. He felt that his first taste of a Championship match to be a challenging one.

“Probably not the way I would have liked to start it but I thought I did alright in bits. I would have liked to have helped the team more, that’s the kind of players that I am.

“I like to set up goals, try and score some goals so really for the team it is disappointing to have come away having lost that one after having so much possession and so many chances.”

Ethan was deployed on the left side of midfield on Saturday but says that he can play on either flank or in the 10 as well just behind the striker. He insisted that he is happy to play anywhere across the park and explained his move.

“I met up with the boys yesterday morning, then trained with them, got all the paperwork done so I was ready for today. I was pleasantly surprised to start, I was ready for it though. I was all prepped for it but we are just gutted that we didn’t win.

“I thought that we started well. Maybe just a little lapse of concentration when they go up. I think it was a sclaff and it just comes to the boy. There was no one near him and he managed to score.

“They then sat that deep and we didn’t really have the answers to try and create something more once they had sat in. We had chances but we didn’t take them so ultimately that is how we lost the game.”

Asked to comment on his first impressions of Dunfermline and how the Championship compares to the Premiership, he claimed to be surprised how close they were to the boys back at Aberdeen.

“I am really impressed by them all to be fair, the tempo they all play at and how seriously the training is taken. I am pleasantly surprised by how hard everyone works.

“It was really close to what I have seen in the Premiership I’d say. Obviously I haven’t played much, eight or nine times for Aberdeen but the standard is really good, really high and that is one of the reasons that I wanted to come here - to challenge myself and play against good teams like Ayr.”

Despite losing Ethan admitted that even after his first 65 minutes, he was surprised how good it was to be playing at Dunfermline. “Yes, Dubai is really good for the Aberdeen boys, it gets them away altogether but I am focused on my time here at Dunfermline.”

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