Recent signing Niyah is a former Hamilton Accies forward who spent last season on loan along the road at Annan Athletic. He started his career at Ibrox before moving to Hamilton where he played in the U18 UEFA Youth league. Playing against Annan in a friendly he caught the eye of Peter Murphy who took him to Galabank but he is now looking forward to the step up and is delighted to have joined Queens.
“Obviously with coronavirus and all that has been happening I hadn’t been able to get something sorted for the season so I am delighted that the club have been able to get it sorted with me personally and I can’t wait to get started. I believe it’s going to be a great test. Annan was a good level for me last year but I just wanted to make the step up again and prove that I can do it in the Championship this time”.
“I enjoyed my time at Hamilton but I felt that I wasn’t going to progress there so it was best that we parted ways and I moved onto somewhere that was going to give me the chance. I’m happy that Queen of the South has given me the opportunity”.
The 19 year old enjoyed his time with our neighbours last season and feels it has set him up for his time at Palmerston. “I feel as though my loan at Annan has really readied me for the challenge that will be this season. Playing with men, playing for points, money on the table, bonuses stuff like that it’s all part and parcel of football so I am glad I had that experience at Annan last year to get me prepared for what it can be like here at Queens”.
“I certainly think it is going to be a challenge for me but I can’t wait to prove that I am ready for it and to repay some of the faith that the Manager and Club have shown me so far and I can’t wait to show the fans what I am about”.
what can they expect? “First and foremost I am an attacking player, a striker or winger I like to bring excitement and joy to the fans. I imagine I can score a few goals given the opportunity so hopefully I will excite the fans. I want to thank Queens again, 100% thank them for the opportunity to play at this level. They can help me a lot, full time football is something I needed to have. I’m still young so I can’t wait to break into the team and lay down my mark and hopefully score some goals”.
Being a forward thinking player it is no surprise that Niyah is enjoying being in the same squad as Stephen Dobbie “You hear the name and you think what can I learn from this guy? So far I have been in a few weeks and the way he trains and conducts himself on and off the park is different class even to what I had at Hamilton and Rangers in my younger days so it’s a delight to train with him because he is different class”.
The teenager knows he will have to work hard but that is something he is prepared to do “First of all I want to help the team get as high up as possible but personally I would like to get appearances and score some goals and chip away at the door trying to get myself into the team for a solid starting place. That’s got to be my goal, I will take it a step at a time but I would like to break down the door and get into the team and take it from there. I can’t tell you how much I have been looking forward to getting into full time training and getting a ball back out. I have been doing a lot of running but it is different being in and being able to train with the boys and I can’t wait for the games to start. I have been in a few weeks now on trial and it’s been great the boys and the staff have been really welcoming, I did find the training hard but it’s really good”.
Niyah has this message for the fans “They can expect a hard working honest player, it is tough times but we need to stick with it and by the time they get back into the stadium hopefully I can bring a smile to their faces”.