Raith Rovers’ teenage centre-back Connor O’Riordan is enjoying the challenge of playing in the Scottish Championship.
The 6’5 defender signed on loan from Crewe Alexandra at the start of August and he has been a mainstay in the side since making his debut at home to Dundee.
Until Saturday’s win over Cove in the SPFL Trust Trophy that had been alongside Ryan Nolan.
Nolan was rested for the 1-0 win – though did replace Kieran Ngwenya late on with the left-back suffering from cramp – meaning Liam Dick played in central defence.
Rovers saw out the game, though had to withstand a lot of Cove pressure, missing several chances of their own to increase their lead.
Clean sheet
“First half we were excellent, we bossed possession, passed it around nicely,” O’Riordan told Courier Sport.
“We had a lot of chances and probably should have put the game to bed in the first half.
“In the second half was a bit different but I thought we saw the game out very well.
“We limited their chances and came away with another win, which is the most important thing.
“They’re going to get spells on the ball and we did have chances to put the game out of sight but luckily we kept a clean sheet.
“Which is good because we’ve not had one for a couple of weeks now. Hopefully we can build on that.
Praise for Dick
Dick was the experienced head in the centre of defence and O’Riordan said he enjoyed playing alongside him at the heart of the defence.
🆕Talking points from Raith's win at Cove Rangers:
Goals from all over✅
But… missed chances✅
Matthews returns✅
Makeshift defence✅https://t.co/bsS9LuD3uT— Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001) September 25, 2022
“I thought he was brilliant. He didn’t put a foot wrong all game, constantly talking to me and helping me,” added the 18-year-old.
“I hope that whatever happens I get to play as many games as I can because that’s what I want to do.
“I’ve been enjoying it so far, it’s been a good challenge and hopefully I continue playing and developing here.
“Crewe are always in contact, I’m not sure if they’ve been able to come up and watch a game yet but I’m sure they come at some point.
They’ll be seeing how we’re doing results-wise and they’ll be happy we’ve kept a clean sheet today.”
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