Israeli striker Tamer Atrach is firing Queen’s to vital points in their battle to avoid the Championship drop and is hopeful of catching the eye of scouts from leading Premiership sides.
The 27-year-old joined Peter Thompson’s side late in the January transfer window after moving to Northern Ireland from his homeland – where he has accumulated almost a decade of experience - due to his girlfriend’s studies.
Atrach – who briefly featured for Armagh City six seasons ago in their Bob Radcliffe Cup winning campaign – has experience of playing professional football and has featured in Italy and Germany.
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The striker opened the scoring in Saturday’s win at Knockbreda – a victory which lifted the Students off the foot of the Championship – and has now netted three times for the club since his arrival.
Speaking to Match on Tuesday, Atrach said on his future: “My aim now is to help Queen’s stay in the league but beyond this season, I want to return to playing professional football.
“Football has been my career and I was used to being full-time and not working in any other job, but because I am in Northern
Ireland I have had to adapt.
“My job now is to score as many goals as I can, to help my team as much as I can and to win as many games as we can – and I am trying to get noticed by teams in the top-flight.
“I have played in a higher level than the leagues and have experience playing in Italy and Germany – and I want to be playing at the highest level here that I can.”
In Atrach’s previous time in Northern Ireland, he linked up with Portadown but due to the club’s registration ban moved to Armagh.
His return this January was not without drama and ultimately came down to Queen’s boss Thompson’s trust that the Israeli would make the difference in the club’s relegation battle.
The South Belfast side have struggled for goals this season due to a long-term injury to star attacker Matty Hughes but the deal to sign Atrach was an unexpected opportunity.
“Peter played a big part in me joining Queen’s because I came to Northern Ireland in January and did not have time for trials, which is what the club wanted,” the striker added.
“Nobody here knew about me or my background, so it was difficult for me to join a club at that time because the transfer window was almost closing.
“There was a video of my background in matches and what I am capable of doing, but that was the only thing I could show.
“PSNI made me a contract offer and I was on my way to sign that until the end of the season, but before I did I let Peter know that I could not risk going to a trial and not getting an offer with Queen’s so I would not be joining them.
“It was then that Peter told me that they would offer me a contract too, so that made the decision and I went to sign with Queen’s.
“Because of the situation at the time, we said that I could make a big difference on whether we stayed in the Championship or not and there was a lot of responsibility.”
Atrach’s goal against Knockbreda followed strikes against Annagh and in the recent win over Loughgall, with his arrival coinciding with a remarkable revival in results.
After collecting just nine points in their first 23 matches, it appeared that the Students were certainties for the drop but they have defied the odds and excelled in the face of adversity with six wins in 11 games since.
“I am so happy at the moment,” continued Atrach.
“It is not easy going into a new country because you start from zero and you have to build it up – of course I have total faith in my own ability and what I can do but I knew I had to be patient.
“The mood in the dressing room has been so good since the moment I joined the club, which might sound strange because we were bottom of the league – but the results have been good since!
“The team have been last since almost the start of the season and that is not an easy thing to go through, but the recent results and performances have been what we needed.
“Now that we have moved up a position in the league, it gives us hope and more motivation for moving further up the standings – we are on the right path.
“This is a very young and inexperienced team, so when you are at that stage of your career and winning matches you feel on top of the world.
“But sometimes football is tough and this has not been an easy season for the club but we now believe we can get ourselves out of this.”
Queen’s travel to in-form Institute this coming Saturday before completing their league campaign with successive fixtures at the Dub against Dundela, Ballyclare and Ards.
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