The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Winger hoping for chance to catch eye again
Fraser Aird pressed his case for a Dunfermline starting berth with a goal of the season contender last month, and he is desperate for another eye-catching display against Dumbarton this afternoon.
The former Rangers winger admits he has found life with the Pars “tough” this season because of limited top team opportunities.
With Joe Cardle and Kallum Higginbotham both in excellent form at the start of the campaign, Aird found himself having to wait patiently for a chance to impress.
He did just that when handed only his second start since joining the Fifers in the summer against Livingston last month, when he fired a magnificent strike into the top corner in the 3-1 victory.
Making his fourth league start in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Morton, the 22-year-old had a hand in Andy Ryan’s goal and he admits he is desperate to play a bigger role in getting Dunfermline back on the winning trail against the Sons.
He said: “It’s been tough.
“The boys have been doing well and I haven’t played as much as I wanted to. But I got a chance on Tuesday night and I thought I came in and did alright, and contributed quite well.
“I made my first start in a while against Livingston and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to come in and impact on the performance.
“Scoring a goal, setting up Higgy’s one and going on to win the game was perfect.
“It was my first goal for the club and hopefully I can push on and get more for the rest of the season.
“Obviously, there’s boys on the bench who are dying to get their chance and when they get their chance they have to take it.
“So, hopefully I get another chance to play at the weekend and I can put in another good performance to stay in the team.
“Hopefully I can do the same thing as I did against Livingston, and score again and cement myself in the team.
“It just shows how much respect he has for me and how much he admires me as a player.
“But it does obviously help if you’re playing week-in, week-out, because it gives you a better chance of playing when you go away.
“It’s a different game at the international level, so you need to be as fit as you can and be ready as much as you can be.”