Jim McInally is delighted with the impact Grant Savoury has made since joining Peterhead earlier this season.
After a year out of the game, Savoury signed for the Blue Toon on the back of an extended training spell where he regained his fitness.
He has played 11 times for the club, scoring his only goal against Clyde, but has quickly proved why McInally and Peterhead wanted him on board.
Being short of midfielders in recent weeks has led McInally to move Savoury into a different role. Normally a winger or forward, the former Celtic youngster has been played as part of a midfield three and has showed great dynamism from the middle of the park.
Savoury said last month he felt close to his best form and the Peterhead manager has been thrilled with his performance levels.
McInally said: “He’s just a good player and seems to be a better midfield player. I’m delighted with him.
“He’s got a turn of pace and if I’m to play him in the middle of the park, he can go past people like they’re not there at times.
“He was feeling his knee a bit on Wednesday. There’s a wee bit of tendonitis in his patella and we were a bit worried.
“He felt it a bit on Saturday – I think he got a kick on it – but we wanted him through the game for Wednesday night.
“He’s going to get a rest now as he’s played a lot of football in a short space of time. He was a massive loss to us because I felt he was the best player on the park.”
Peterhead played their final game of the year during the week – a 2-0 defeat at Montrose, with Savoury coming off just before the break. They are still in fifth in League One heading into the Boxing Day games, with the teams below them having games in hand.
McInally was not too displeased with the midweek performance and felt they gave the Links Park side enough of a game.
He added: “They scored from a corner in what I think was their only attack of the first half. Without opening them up, I thought we played really well.
“They changed at half-time and pressed us higher, so we didn’t have the same dominance in the second half. It was still a close game.
“We didn’t work the goalie hard enough. But bearing in mind we were an exceptionally young team until Del (Lyle) came on, I was really pleased.”
