'I knew as soon as the season finished that I wanted to stay' - Former Dungannon Swifts youngster looking to kick on after making impressive Championship loan move permanent
Now at Annagh United on a permanent basis, James Convie is determined to build on what was an impressive season both personally and collectively.
The 22-year-old arrived at the BMG Arena on loan from Dungannon Swifts in January and quickly made his mark, scoring six times in 14 Championship appearances – a run during which Ciaran McGurgan’s side lost only once and came within one point of securing a third consecutive Premiership promotion/relegation play-off.
McGurgan gave Convie the freedom to express himself – a Goal of the Season contender in the dying minutes to seal victory over H&W Welders was just one example – and the young midfielder knew from early on that Annagh was the perfect fit for him.
Convie quickly agreed to extend his stay in County Armagh and is now looking to play his part in helping fight for promotion yet again.
“I enjoyed the club so much and everyone around the club,” he reflected on his loan spell. “I needed to play games and I wasn't going to be guaranteed that at Dungannon.
"I felt I hadn't played enough football over the past few seasons and thought it was a good move for me to go across to Annagh. I knew as soon as the season finished that I wanted to stay.
"The past three or four years I hadn't played a full season...I'd always been out on loan or getting wee injuries. I wanted a fresh start and felt like Annagh was the perfect club for it.
"It feels good to have that permanent home. Confidence is massive in football and if you can string a good few games together, scoring goals and winning games builds your confidence and confidence around the club. We've high beliefs for this season and hopefully we can push on for promotion."
Coming into January, Annagh looked to have no chance of battling for the promotion spots – even with five split matches to go they were nine points adrift of then second-placed Portadown – but entering the Championship’s final night they were likely considered play-off favourites, which is true testament to their never-say-die attitude.
Ultimately they drew 0-0 with Bangor while Institute scored late on a couple of miles down the road at Shamrock Park to set up a clash with Ballymena United, but rather than looking negatively at missing out by the smallest of margins, Convie sees the bright side and wants to use that momentum as a platform.
"As a team we finished the season very strongly and only lost one game...it was some run,” he added. “We fell short at the end drawing against Bangor, but if we continue that going into the new season we'll be flying and hopefully pushing for promotion.
"There is a good feeling around the club and it's a fresh start with this being a new season. We've a couple of new players in and it's a new challenge, but if we can take the momentum from last season into the new season then we'll do very well.
"You can't look at falling short as a negative...we'd done so well to get ourselves into that position, but it'll be in the back of our minds to go one step better this season. You've to look at the positives of how well we did there."