Aaron Comrie signs new Dunfermline contract and reveals ‘man of the match’ from Pars holiday

The defender has penned a new two-year deal at KDM Group East End Park.

By Craig Cairns

May 19 2023, 5:58pm

Aaron Comrie has signed a new two-year deal at Dunfermline. Image: Craig Brown.

A year ago Aaron Comrie was out of favour and out of confidence as Dunfermline were relegated from the Championship.

Now he is part of a record-breaking, title-winning side and ready for another crack at the Championship after signing a two-year deal at KDM Group East End Park.

The former St Johnstone defender is ready to build on a “special season” after the Pars stormed their way to the League One title and back to the Championship.

It has taken a few weeks to get the deal over the line but the Pars star insisted he was never going anywhere else.

Aaron Comrie has signed a two-year deal at Dunfermline. Image: SNS.

Part of the reason was due to the last week’s end-of-season holiday in Benidorm.

Close-knit squad

“It was pretty quiet, to be fair. I’m sick of seeing some of their faces,” said Comrie, who joined Dunfermline from St Johnstone in 2019.

“There were a few good performers – Josh Edwards was right up there as the man of the match!

“It is a close-knit squad, a lot of the boys have been here three or four years together. It is good that the majority of the boys are staying.”

Aaron Comrie celebrates lifting the League One title with Dunfermline. Image: SNS.

The players are due back in about a month’s time and Comrie is going to take another week off before getting back to running.

Hard work was the mantra last season and manager James McPake – earlier in the day nominated for the SFWA manager of the year – has already warned the player to expect an even tougher preseason schedule.

Praise for manager

“I actually don’t mind that side of things,” said Comrie.

“After the last game against Alloa the manager said ‘if you think last pre season was hard just wait until you see this one’. I’m not sure how that is going to turn out.”

“I have loved it and the gaffer coming in has been brilliant with me. I have a good relationship with him so it is where I want to be.”

It’s a far cry from where he, Rhys Breen and many others in the squad were this time last year and he credits the manager with turning things around.

“If I go back to the start of the season, I wasn’t sure about what I was going to be doing,” said Comrie.

Aaron Comrie said he has a good relationship with manager James McPake. Image: Craig Brown.

“I fell out of favour last year in the Championship but the manager made it clear right from the start that he wanted to keep me and that has continued.

“I think it was important for the club to go up straight away but that was never a pressure that was put on us.

“A few of the boys had lost their confidence, there were boys out of favour and this year got themselves back in the team and they have been flying.”