Town new boy Ryan Fraser could hardly be happier with the start he has made to his season-long loan move from Bournemouth.

The Scottish U21 winger has quickly become a firm favourite of supporters with his trickery and goals — two in the league and another in the Capital One Cup — although he has yet to break his Portman Road duck.

But his current tally of three represents three quarters of his total haul with the Cherries last term as they secured promotion to the Premier League, taking their place in English football’s top flight for the first time in their history.

Fraser said: “I’m playing well, scoring goals and I’ve got a couple of assists as well, so I’m delighted with how things are going.

“I just need to keep it up now — I don’t want to let my standards drop and go through a dry spell. I need to keep it going and I know about the expectations of the supporters.

“I think I deal with it well. It’s not going to faze me and I’m just going to keep doing what I do. I’ll try my best and give it 100 per cent. If I score, I score, and if I don’t, I don’t, but I will always try my best.

“I have had Tweets from some fans and they seem to like me, but I’m just focusing on my football, although if they like me and give me encouragement I’m obviously going to play better on the pitch.”

Fraser, who limped off just 28 minutes into Town’s recent midweek win over Burnley but recovered from his knee injury to return to action in the 2-1 win at Preston last weekend, believes it was his best-ever goal that secured all three points at Deepdale.

He added: “I’ve never scored a better one than that. Apparently there were about 20 passes leading up to my shot and I didn’t even look at the goal as I hit the ball.

“I just knew where I was and took the chance — if you don’t do that you won’t score — and luckily for me it went in. Definitely the best goal I’ve scored so far.

“It was one of those that as soon as you hit it you know, 100 per cent, that it’s going in. I think I started celebrating before it went in the net. I knew it was in and I think everyone behind it knew it was in as well.

“It’s good to be scoring and every goal counts, whether it’s world-class or just a tap-in like I had against Brentford.

“TC asked me at the start of the season if I had a target in mind and I said I wanted to get eight to 10 but with a lot of assists as well. I think that’s a good ratio and I don’t see why I shouldn’t get it. I won’t always score but I will always look to get into the positions to do it.”

Fraser is happy to credit assistant boss Connor with a large slice of the credit for the rapid improvement in his goals-to-games ratio, adding: “I did get a lot of chances to score last season but I wasn’t really experienced enough to know what position to be in when the ball was going to drop. This season I have focused more on my goalscoring.

“TC takes me out for training and gets me in the positions I need to be in. It has definitely helped and I’ll take any goal. I just need to keep getting into the right positions. TC’s sessions on a Friday morning are really good. It’s different to anything I’ve ever done before.

“For example, we do headers and I’ve never done that in my life. But it’s working because my heading is improving. When it came to finishing I used to just smash it but TC has got me caressing the ball and stuff like that.

“It’s unbelievable and it’s hard to explain but you know when you go out there that you’ll learn something and afterwards you think about what he has told you and shown you.

“Being young, it’s good for me because I want to listen and take it on board. It definitely helps. TC has all the forwards and the gaffer does his bit with the defenders.”

Photo: Action Images

BotesdaleBlue added 07:14 - Aug 28 Yet more evidence, if it were needed, that TC is a such a key and essential part of our continuing success under the leadership of Mick. All top managers need a top number 2/coach behind them, just like Bobby Robson had with Lee and then Ferguson. Coming back to Fraser, it is clear from his comments in this and other stories, that he is loving his time at Town both personally and professionally, which is just what we all want to hear. I think we have a real gem, playing in a position where Mick had struggled to fill in his time here. Overall it is all coming together nicely and I can't think of a better August both on and off the pitch in the past 20 years.

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bedsitfc added 08:34 - Aug 28 Just a shame he signed an extension to his cherries contract, but understand why howe wanted it.
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Fatboy added 09:09 - Aug 28 Hopefully he has an £8,500 buyout clause.
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spanishblue added 09:27 - Aug 28 Mick tried last year to fill those positions but we got a couple of could,nt care less and not good enough stuck with em at moment,though
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Tractamatt added 11:10 - Aug 28 I would like to think that there would be a buy out clause in his new contract if Bournemouth are relegated.
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