The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Ex-Black Cat Beadling makes switch to Pars permanent
Ex-Sunderland midfielder signs on after impressive loan spell
Dunfermline have snapped up Sunderland’s Tom Beadling on a permanent deal after the midfielder impressed on loan this season.
The 22-year-old has penned a two-year contract to end a 14-year association with his boyhood heroes.
The youngster made 11 appearances for the Pars after joining in January and impressed before a thigh injury ruled him out of the end-of-season bid for promotion via the play-offs.
Manager Allan Johnston is thrilled to have secured the versatile player beyond the summer and expects Beadling to get even better next term.
He said: “I thought he did brilliantly when he came in. He’s really only played first-team football since he came here and I think once he got into the team he started improving.
“You could see the difference in him but I still expect a lot more from him. I think he’s got a lot more potential to give and he’s got the attitude to match that as well.
“I’m sure he’ll be a massive player for us next season, especially if he keeps progressing.”
Meanwhile, defender Jason Talbot could be on his way out of East End Park.
The former Livingston left-back has not been offered a new deal as Dunfermline weigh up their options.
But Johnston has not ruled out tabling a contract.
He added: “I’ve spoken to him to say we can’t offer him anything just now. We’re the same as everybody else, we’re just looking at all our options just now.
“It doesn’t mean we’re not going to offer him anything, it just means we’re assessing all our options before we make any decisions.”
Johnston meanwhile has penned a new two-year deal with the Pars and confirmed Sandy Clark will stay on as his assistant next season.
The Pars boss will also retain the services of first-team coach John Potter, who was linked with a possible return to former club St Mirren this summer.
Johnston admits the challenge is now to ensure the Fifers improve on their recent failed play-off bid for promotion.
He said: “I’m delighted to sign a new contract. I’ve made it clear I want to be here.
“I think, as a club, we’ve been moving forward every year and we’ve just got to make sure we keep doing that.
“It’s important we take the momentum from the end of this season into the next one. We need to start really well and make sure we’re up there challenging, because obviously that’s the ultimate goal, to get promoted.”
With Partick Thistle joining Ross County in being relegated from the Premiership, Ayr United and Alloa Athletic coming up from League One and the likes of Dundee United and Inverness Caley Thistle still in the league, next season’s Championship is already shaping up to be extremely tough.
But Johnston is optimistic Dunfermline can prevail after falling just short in their play-off clash with United.
He added: “It’s going to be a really difficult league. It’s getting as competitive as the Premiership, with the teams that are in it.
“If you look at Partick coming down, they’ll get the parachute payment, which is a lot of money.
“But we’ll be competitive. We want to be progressing as a club, we want to try to get promoted, we want to make sure we’re up there.
“That’s got to be the goal and we’ve got to make sure we get players capable of doing that.”