Glenmavis kid has high hopes for the season

MARK PIRIE

Local lad Ally Roy hopes to bring Championship football back to Airdrie – and repay the diehard Diamonds.

Forward Roy, who grew up in Glenmavis, hopes to bag his first league goal of the season against Forfar on the road after missing defeat to Montrose through illness.

With the club currently challenging for the playoff spots, the 22-year-old is keen to earn promotion for his local side.

He hopes the town will turn out to back them on their journey.

Roy told the Advertiser: “I’ve been away to a few clubs now and come back, so it was a big thing for me to be playing for my local club and in front of family and friends.

“I’ve followed Airdrie since I was a young boy and it means a lot to me to play for the club.

“The plan when I came back was to help the team round the corner from me to challenge for promotion, and that’s still the plan.

“I want to help the club get back where they should be. That’s why I came here. In my opinion they are a big club who should be playing in the Championship at least.

“I can understand why it’s frustrating for the fans who have had to spend such a long time at this level.

“We need to win games and get them behind us, and hopefully the town will be backing us because it really does help.

“It kind of works both ways, if we are putting the performances in then it will bring people in.”

Northern Ireland under-21 cap Roy admits the Diamonds haven’t been shining bright so far this season, but feels they are on the cusp of running riot against a fellow League One side.

He believes there are plenty of positives to take from the season so far.

“Where we are just now, we’re not too far off where we want to be,” continued the striker.

“Without being at our best we have kept up with the teams around us. In the first quarter we have not been bad, but we’ve not been at our best. I know we can be better than we have been.

“We’re still in there with a chance without being great, but we know that we can go up a gear.”

He continued: “It does feel like we have controlled possession in games and for some reason it’s just not translating to goals.

“We have been controlled, and have been hit by the sucker punch a couple of times now.

“It feels like at some point we are going to give a team a battering and then off the back of that I can see us going on a wee run.

“Everyone is positive in the dressing room about the club and where we will be come the end of the season. There has been a shock result every week this season and everyone beats everyone.”