Ross County manager Jim McIntyre is delighted to get a second opportunity to work with midfielder Joe Cardle.
McIntyre first signed the Blackpool-born midfielder, who began his career with Port Vale, for Dunfermline from Airdrie in 2009, with the Englishman helping the Pars achieve promotion to the Scottish Premier League two years later.
When Cardle left Raith Rovers in the summer McIntyre, pictured below, tried to sign him for Queen of the South, but the 27-year-old opted to join County. The pair were reunited last week when McIntyre was appointed as Derek Adams’ successor at Victoria Park, and the new Staggies manager hopes he can get the best out of Cardle once again.
McIntyre said: “Joe did fantastically for me in the top flight with Dunfermline. He’s getting another crack at it and he deserves it.
“I tried to sign him in the summer for Queen of the South. Joe is someone I took from Airdrie to Dunfermline because I saw a hunger in him and a desire to be the best he can be.
“He did really well for me for the Pars, helping us get promoted to the Premier League. He scored nine goals in the top division and had the most assists before I left.
“He can definitely contribute at this level. I think he was unlucky to drop a level, but football is all about opinions. I thought somebody would have taken a chance on him.”
County fell to a 2-1 defeat against Motherwell in McIntyre’s first game in charge on Saturday, but the Staggies manager felt Cardle’s performance was one of the positives from the game. McIntyre added: “Joe played well on Saturday.
“He can maybe improve his final ball, but the most important thing is he was taking people on and making things happen. He is an exciting player to watch. When he’s on form, he’s really on form.
“There were a lot of good performances on Saturday, but Joe and Graham Carey on the left caused Motherwell bother. Big Scott Boyd also competed really well with Motherwell attacker John Sutton who is a handful for any defence in the Sottish Premiership.”