RUARI PATON hopes to leave Queen’s Park’s rivals feeling dizzy — after once being crowned Ireland’s champion for HEAD SPINS.
The striker signed for the ambitious Spiders after his deal at Queen of the South expired.
SNSRuari Paton has joined up at Queen’s Park[/caption]
SNSHe left Dumfries and Queen of the South at the end of his contract[/caption]
Paton, 22, netted 26 times for the Palmerston side last term, and is the man new boss Robin Veldman will look to for goals at Queen’s.
But growing up, the Irish ace Paton was a big fan of breakdancing and won the all-Irish title when he was ten.
He said: “I started dancing when I was about eight and did it
until I was 12.
“I used to do a lot of breakdancing when I was younger, but I had to stop because I had to choose between that and football.
“I just enjoyed dancing but football was what I always wanted to do. Dancing was a hobby.
“I don’t know if I could bust the moves out now.
“I don’t think the gaffer here would appreciate a head spin!
“I used to do them when I was younger. I’d fly around a lot when I was a kid.
“I don’t think it’s happening any more though — the hips are a bit tight for that now. Too much running.
“I was good at the dancing but football was natural to me and it was what I always wanted to do.
“I still love dancing, and every time I go out nowadays I’m on the
dance floor virtually the whole night.”
Spiders fans will hope Paton can now produce all the right moves when the new season gets going.
He also strutted his stuff at a Beatson Cancer Strictly charity night in
Glasgow recently in memory of his cousin Eilidh McHugh.
Paton performed swing and jive alongside Eilidh’s friends and family.
He added: “That was for an event my aunt and my uncle were doing for my cousin who died a couple of years ago from a very rare form of cancer.
“It was obviously very hard for my aunt Elaine and uncle Michael. Eilidh was very young.
“It was very harsh at the time, but they have done some great stuff the last couple of years with events and things like that.
“So I thought it was a nice thing to do for charity and I wanted to
help my family. I really enjoyed it.
“We did a bit of westcoast swing and a bit of jive. It’s not as easy as it looks.
“We had a good couple of weeks practising before it and it was hard. I had a lot of fun on the night and we came second.
“But it wasn’t about winning for me, I couldn’t have cared less about that. It was about doing it for my cousin and for my family.
“My aunt and uncle do great work so I shouldn’t be applauded for it, they deserve all the credit for that night.”
The Spiders have quickly revamped things since missing out on the
Championship title on the final day of last season.
Paton thinks his quick feet on the dance floor helps him when he’s
inside the box.
He added: “Vasiliy Lomachenko, the Ukrainian boxer, was put into traditional dancing when he was nine. His dad took him out of boxing for a few years to dance.
“It was to get his feet and rhythm better and to move smarter.
“I’ve always thought you can pick up a lot of things from other sports and put it into football.
“Look at golf. There’s the mental battle at golf where you have a high-pressure shot or putt, and it’s the same when you get a penalty in football.
“It’s very similar — you’ve a lot of time to think about it. You have to win that mental battle and deliver.”
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page