Latest addition Anton Dowds reflects on his whirlwind Raith Rovers move
Latest Raith Rovers recruit Anton Dowds has been describing the whirlwind nature of his transfer to Stark’s Park, which resulted in him playing the full 90 minutes of Tuesday evening’s 1-0 home victory over Peterhead in the Premier Sports Cup just hours after signing.
The 29-year-old striker, who has penned a one-year deal with Raith having previously spent three years at Ayr United, has also previously served East Fife, Falkirk, Arbroath (loan) and Partick Thistle.
After a first half Dylan Easton goal had won it for Rovers and put them on a final points total of eight from their four matches in Group H, Dowds told Raith TV post match: “I got the call from the manager (Dougie Imrie) last Monday and I was really excited with what he’d said on the phone.
"When the manager reaches out to you and you feel that he really wants you to come here and then he starts taking on his view of where the club should be, his style of play and how he sees you fitting into that, I thought it wasn’t a case of me coming here to make up the numbers and be a squad player.
"I could actually come here and help the club achieve the ambitions that he’s looking for. That was really one of the selling points. Obviously you play Raith Rovers a lot in this league (William Hill Championship) so I’ve seen a lot how the club has progressed over the last few years with the new pitch and new changing rooms.
"When I look at the squad that’s getting assembled here – although there’s a couple of injuries at the minute – it’s really exciting.
"And the aspirations for the club were definitely something that really appealed to me. And then it really picked up momentum in the last 24 hours and I’m delighted to have it sorted.
"We got it done this morning and it was a case of: ‘If we get the registration done in time would you be up for playing?’
"I said I would love to get some minutes and I managed to get 90 which was good.
"The competitive games come fast here with the league cup and that brings its own pressures. The extra games at the beginning of a season do have a bit of a strain on the squad, however there’s enough quality out there.
"You could see all the players in different positions tonight at the end but it shows the quality of the team."