Blair Lyons insists it was an easy decision to sign a new deal with Montrose – as it will help him embark on a new career as a tiler.
The 25-year-old, currently on loan from Partick Thistle, has agreed a pre-contract offer with the Gable Endies from the summer.
The three-year deal will see him stay at Links Park until 2025, with boss Stewart Petrie building a squad for the future.
‘Not a hard decision’
Lyons said the offer of a move back to Montrose on a permanent basis was an easy one to accept.
“The gaffer spoke to me about a month ago, saying they were keen to get the basis of a squad signed up for the next few years,” he told Courier Sport.
“It’s probably the best Montrose team there has ever been.
“The club has only gone up in the past four or five years. It wasn’t a hard decision.”
Lyons, who initially started off his professional career with Mo while studying at the University of Stirling.
He joined the Jags in January 2020 and was loaned back to Montrose for the remainder of the season.
But with Covid cutting the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons short, the forward struggled to make any impact in Ian McCall’s side.
No regrets over Partick move
He still trains with the Maryhill side during the week and Lyons has no regrets about moving to Thistle.
“I’m happy I took the chance to try full-time football,” he said.
“But I’d never trained full-time before and I took a while to adapt to it but it never really happened for me.
“I don’t regret the move.
“I’d never experienced sitting on the bench and not playing as much football as I could.
“When you get the chance, you need to take it and I doubted myself a lot last year.
“It took for me to go out and play again to realise what I could do and try to get back to my best. I feel I’ve done that.”
New career as a tiler
Lyons is now making the transition from the full-time to part-time game with a tiling career lined up when his contract at Thistle ends.
He credits the help of the PFA for a course earlier in the year and he is already being inundated with job requests.
“I’ve been in training with Thistle, Montrose and a bit of tiling as well, so I’m enjoying it,” Lyons explained.
“I’m only a few weeks into it. But I’m just trying to do wee bits, I’ll focus more on it full-time when with Montrose.
“I thought I was going to struggle to get jobs but I put myself out a wee bit. I’ve had people phoning me up wanting work done so I thought I may as well start at it while I can.
“But I’ll see how it goes, I’m not going to overdo it and be knackered for the football.”
The forward has been in fine form this season with five goals in his last eight games.
However, Lyons has had to sit out the previous two games due to suspension.
He is available again this weekend against Peterhead and is keen to get back on the goal trail.
“I was gutted [about the suspension] but rather than get myself down about it, I’ve been in at Thistle keeping fit,” he said.
“It was frustrating considering I’d hit a bit of form as well with a few goals and probably playing my best football recently.
“Hopefully I can now kick on and score some goals.
“My aim was double figures. I’m at six – if I can get to 10, I’ll be happy with that.”
