Stevie casts his doubts away

David Christie 1563 - 1563 • Published 26 Mar 2009 12:30

STEVIE Masterton admits nine league games after joining Morton he was having serious doubts about whether it was the right move for him.

The dead-ball specialist signed for the club last May from fellow First Division side Clyde, intent on firing his playing career forward.

But after a winless first quarter he began to wonder exactly what he had got himself in for.

However, with the team having gone on an unbeaten run of six matches and climbed into fifth spot in the table, just a point from third, the 24-year-old is now certain the initial pain was worth was it.

He said: 'After nine games, I was thinking I had not made the right move, but the last 21 games have shown there is lots to build on.

'We have even missed out on a wee chance, with the way the league has panned out. Still, if we win our next six then you never know.

'After the Clyde game on the opening day we suffered a bit of a hangover, a massive hangover, but the run we"ve gone on since has been table topping.

'It has been a hectic month and we"ve had quite a lot of tough games, ones which mattered a lot to the club.

'To tell the truth we are a bit disappointed we didn"t win a bit more in March as we feel we could have surprised a few people.

'We always felt it had to turn around for us and where before we were losing late goals, now we are getting them. We are also difficult to beat.'

Since his arrival, Masterton has popped up with a number of lethal deliveries and weighed in with six goals of his own.

But the Ayrshireman remains slightly disappointed with his own contribution, a harsh analysis considering he has been hampered by a number of injuries, including both back and knee problems.

'I"m enjoying it here and I have played not bad over the last few weeks,' added Masterton. 'But I just wish I had done it all season, not just in fits and starts.

'When I got injured I lost my place and other players got in ahead of me. It has been a bit stop-start, but I feel I have shown what I can do.

'The Division this year has not really helped as I like to get the ball down in the middle of the park, but it has been back to front very quickly. My game is getting on the ball and switching play.

'I"ve not managed to do that in games as it has been so frantic, but I have tried to change my style of play and improve my battling qualities.'

More than most, Masterton"s former employers are in desperate need of said qualities as they battle to avoid the drop.

And Masterton hopes they can turn it around.

He said: 'It"s tough for Clyde and I still have a few close mates there.

'I don"t want to see them go down and in truth they are only a couple of different results away from being in the position we are in.

'They have only found themselves down there in the past month and now they look in real danger.

'Their recent form has not been great, but it is all about scoring goals and they have not managed to get Pat Clarke and Willie McLaren on the pitch together which is bound to hurt them.'

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 26 Mar 09

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