Dumbarton loan star Aaron Healy confident of helping Sons' fortunes turn

Last year, Aaron Healy was one of the hottest prospects in Scottish football.

Plucked from West of Scotland League Arthurlie after a glittering spell in Barrhead, Healy - then just 19 - was given a four-and-a-half year deal by Championship high-flyers Queen’s Park.

Under the management of former Dumbarton star Owen Coyle, he got off to a flyer with the Spiders, netting his first SPFL goal in a 4-1 romp against Hamilton Academical 12 months ago.

However, after finding his opportunities limited following Coyle’s departure, Aaron is now determined to make up for lost time after joining Dumbarton on loan until the end of the season.

The winger said: “A year ago when I was at Arthurlie, Dumbarton were interested, but I wasn’t in a rush to make a decision.

“Then, the offer of full-time football with Queen’s Park came along which I couldn’t turn down.

“The last year has helped me a lot. I’ve been a lot sharper from full-time training.

“But it’s also been a disappointing season for me personally. I’ve not played as much as I would’ve wanted to.

“Because I’ve got a long-term deal, I could sit back and say that I have time to develop. But I know that, in reality, I don’t.

“Football is a harsh game and anything can happen. Everything can change instantly so I need to make sure that, wherever I’m playing, I make an impact as quickly as I can.”

On signing for Queen’s Park, Coyle described Healy as a “throwback player”.

And Aaron himself says he got the perfect introduction to senior football as a teenage trickster playing in the sixth tier.

He continued: “My time at Arthurlie was a great grounding for me. It’s a few levels below League Two, but it was so helpful.

“Football is such a physical game, but especially as a winger, that’s