Amateur League goal success helped instil confidence in new Championship ace

The 25-year-old scored 39 goals in all competitions for Drumaness Mills last season, prompting Matthew Tipton’s side to make their move this summer for a player that had also previously played for the likes of Ballynahinch Olympic and Kilmore Rec.

While an evident jump in terms of standard, the sheer weight of goals has instilled belief within Dougan that he’s more than capable of performing in the second-tier – and perhaps even higher.

He netted in Ards’ impressive BetMcLean League Cup display against Larne in which Tipton’s men pushed the defending Premiership champions to extra-time before scoring a brace in last weekend’s triumph over H&W Welders, extending their unbeaten league run to three following a testing start.

Four in his last three matches has brought Dougan’s season tally to seven and he believes it was the perfect time to test himself at a higher level.

"It's my first time playing at this level so I didn't really know what to expect,” he said. “I always had the belief in myself to make the jump and I've settled into the team very well.

"The manager that I had at Drumaness (Mark Kerr) is probably the biggest thing that helped me develop to be able to play at this level. After the three years I had with him I think it was the perfect time to make the jump. If I had made the jump a bit sooner then I wouldn't have been able to do as well.

"Scoring a lot of goals is great, but I knew it was going to be a jump and it's one that I always wanted to make. After all my hard work last year and scoring those goals last year, I wasn't worried about making the move because I knew I was ready for it.

"The best thing for me in terms of the last two or three years was playing in an Amateur League that has increased massively in standard. Mostly Amateur League teams are winning the Intermediate Cup and Steel & Sons Cup now, so that goes to show how good it is. I think it's the best thing for any player in that league that the standard is improving and more players are able to make that jump."

The strike against Larne in particular has helped prove to Dougan that he belongs mixing it with the best and he’s now looking to maintain his scoring run.

"When you play well and score a goal against a team like that it's always going to lift your confidence,” he added. “That has pushed me on a lot more.

"That's a level I would love to play at so to score against them is great for the confidence. I have the mentality of believing that I could play at the top level so it's good when you get the chance to play against these teams that you're showing yourself you can do it. It gives you that bit of belief that if I can score against them then I can push on.

"Now that I have a couple of goals you can't wait for every game to try and push on, especially as a team because we're sitting somewhere we know we probably shouldn't be. It gives everyone that bit of confidence and if we're winning and I'm scoring goals it's something I want to keep building on."

Dougan is also reaping the benefits of working with manager Tipton, who played for the likes of Oldham Athletic, Macclesfield Town and Bury before making the move to Dundalk and then the Irish League during his own playing career.

"As a striker there's no better manager to have than someone who has been there and done it at a top level,” he said. “He has helped me massively with small things that I can do better and I only think that I can get better with his help. I couldn't ask for a better manager."