7:00am Wednesday 17th March 2010
By Ian Wadley
LEFT in limbo, Ryan Garry had much to ponder about his uncertain Dean Court future.
His six-month contract had come to an end and his Cherries career was very much up in the air.
Standing in the reception at Dean Court, the defender appeared unsure whether his stay on the south coast was going to be extended, or if he should be seeking new employers.
That worrying lack of security was a mere 15 months ago.
But now the 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a fresh two-and-a-half-year contract, the anxiety he went through back then is a thing of the past.
Garry has pledged his immediate future to the club and Cherries’ defence without the centre-half in it is now an almost unthinkable proposition. On recent evidence, the club won’t be letting Garry’s contract expire again any time soon.
Consistent and growing in stature, the model professional, alongside captain Jason Pearce and more recently Marvin Bartley, has provided the firm foundations on which Cherries have launched their promotion push.
With 36 appearances under his belt this term – a career-best in a single season – he has established himself as a vital figure at Dean Court.
He can reflect philosophically on the time when everything was not so clearly mapped out, both for him and Cherries. In late December 2008, manager Jimmy Quinn had expressed his desire to retain Garry’s services once his short-term deal expired on New Year’s Eve, but the ex-Northern Ireland striker was then promptly shown the door.
For a short period of time, at least, Garry might well have wondered when his luck was going to turn.
“I think me and Mark Molesley were almost in limbo because we didn’t know what was going on with Jimmy Quinn,” he admits.
“Then Eddie (Howe) came in and said he wanted me to stay until the end of the season and I was more than happy to do so, as was Mark.
“It is a different situation from that now but I was very happy to sign the new contract. I’m sure we can achieve something good here.”
Signed by Kevin Bond in August 2007, Garry’s initial time with Cherries was, like a lot of his career, plagued by injury.
The classy defender has endured far more than his fair share of problems since starting out as a highly-regarded prospect at Arsenal.
Having cut his teeth training against the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, he was handed a Premier League debut at 19. But shin injuries struck and his time in North London came to an end.
And on signing for Cherries, a fractured tibia against Northampton came just a month into his debut campaign.
But the defender has battled through the tough times – more than most players would have faced in a whole career – with much credit.
“Maybe it didn’t start the way you would want it to start,” he says, looking back on the beginning of his south coast stint.
“I think it was after about eight games that I had quite a bad injury.
“But if I was to look back on my time here, I feel that I have learned an awful lot.
“I am enjoying playing under the current manager and I am learning a lot from him.
“He was a defender as well and that helps. Me and Jason Pearce can always bounce ideas off him and any questions.
“When you look back over DVDs of games, he can see where we’ve gone right or where we’ve gone wrong and you can learn from that.”
With his performances improving and his form consistent, Cherries fans will be hoping Garry continues his footballing education at Dean Court for the foreseeable future.
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