Dream come true for former Glasgow Rangers youth at West Bromwich Albion

Mar 22 2009 by Robert Tanner, Sunday Mercury

“It wasn’t too bad because my girlfriend came down with me from the start so I had someone to settle in with me,” he said.

“All my team-mates have been great from the moment I came down.

“The club sorted me a flat in Sutton Coldfield and Jonno (Jonathan Greening) lives nearby, and Rocko (Robert Koren) is in the same apartment block as me. It is perfect.

“I think it was more a case of the locals having a problem with my accent.”

Dorrans even seemed to take his full Premier League debut in his stride at Upton Park, although he admitted to having a few nerves.

“Jonno, Robbo (Paul Robinson) and the others have been great and just before the game they told me to just do what I have been doing and they helped me along during the game.

“They kept me going. It is great to have people like that alongside me, it helped a lot.

“I thought I did okay but there were a few slack passes, but I just put them down to nerves. But I did okay.

“The game was much faster than I was used to, but since I came down I feel I have improved as a player. It is obviously much different to the football I was playing last year. Last season I was playing in front of 5,000 fans but the other night it was 40,000. Now I want to help the club stay in the Premier League so I can have more of that.”