Canadian International winger Ben Fisk joined Derry City on a short-term contract until the end of the season, with the intention of impressing boss Kenny Shiels enough to be rewarded an extension.
The 25 year-old arrives at the Brandywell after a couple of seasons playing in his homeland for FC Edmonton, where he played alongside both St Patrick’s Athletic striker Jake Keegan and a player who will also be joining the Candystripes come July the 1st. Fisk explains, “I played with Kenny’s son Dean at FC Edmonton. He recommended me to his dad and put us in touch and then things moved pretty quickly from there, getting the contract and everything sorted.”
He spoke to Keegan also to get his take on football in Ireland, with the striker having had a great spell with Galway United prior to returning to the league with St Pats. He said, “I spoke to Jake a bit about the league he told me that it was a high standard, very competitive, and that Derry would be a great club to play for. I’m looking forward to playing them next month!”
“The standard here has been very good. Kenny’s sessions are very intense and competitive which is a training environment that I thrive in. I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”
He has signed a contract until the end of the season but hopes his performances will help him get an extension to that, “Yes I’ve just signed until the end of the season but based on my first impressions this is a city and club that I would be very happy to be a part of for a longer period of time.”
“The players and entire staff at the club have been very welcoming from day one. I haven’t been here long but I already feel quite at home.”
The winger feels that Derry’s style of play will suit him down to the ground, “A massive reason for me coming to Derry was the style of play. I’ve been at clubs before where it maybe hasn’t been the best fit for me stylistically, so I’ve looked really hard to find somewhere where I thought I would be best set up to succeed. when Dean was telling me about the club saying they really try to play a possession based; attacking style it really excited me and I jumped on the opportunity.”
Has he styled his game on any player in particular? Fisk said, “No, don’t style my game off anyone in particular, but when I was young I looked up to skillful players like Zidane, Brazil’s Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and then of course CR7 and Messi when they came on the scene.”
Derry kick-off their Europa League campaign against Belarusian side Dinamo Minsk next month, something Fisk can’t wait to be involved in. He said, “The opportunity to play the Europa league matches was another massive reason I chose to join Derry. Of course it’s a very tough road to get there but qualifying for the group stages would be incredible and that should be our goal!”
Having been involved with the Canadian National team previously Fisk hopes the move to the Brandywell will help him stay in the manager’s thoughts, “It’s definitely a goal of mine to play more regularly for the national team. I just need to focus on performing well for Derry week in week out and the rest will fall into place.”
Derry currently lie fifth in the Premier Division table, level on points with fourth-placed Shamrock Rovers, a team they face on Friday night in Tallaght. Fisk knows they’ve huge games on the horizon and is looking forward to getting started, “We are lucky to have so many meaningful matches coming up over the next few months. My goals are to help the team in any way I can to compete in Europe, the league, and the Irish Cup. To win the FAI cup would be magic and I think as a club we need to ensure that we finish out the league strong in order to qualify for Europe again next year.”
“I’m very excited to play my first match at the Brandywell. It’s a great little stadium and for an artificial surface the pitch is top class. I can’t wait to step out on the Brandywell pitch on match day and meet all the supporters!”
Picture Credits: NASL, F.C. Edmonton, Derry City FC
Comments
Post a Comment