Paul Quinn has vowed to put the torment of the past 18 months behind him and make a fresh start with Cardiff.
New Cardiff signing eager for fresh start
Paul Quinn has vowed to put the torment of the past 18 months behind him and make a fresh start with Cardiff.
The £300,000 signing from Motherwell has endured tragedy and a series of off-field agonies from which he is determined to move on.
Defender Quinn, 24, could only watch in horror as Well skipper Phil O'Donnell collapsed and died during a match at Fir Park on 29th December, 2007.
In the months that followed his mother was diagnosed with MS, he suffered a broken jaw while on a night out, was convicted of an assault he continues to deny and was robbed at gunpoint while on holiday in America.
Quinn told the
South Wales Echo: "I'm not looking back. I'm looking to the new season and the future with Cardiff City. It's a fresh start and I will make the most of it."
But he will never forgot the day of O'Donnell's death, when the popular captain collapsed in the game against Dundee United.
He said: "It still hurts to think there was nothing I could do about it. That will haunt me for the rest of my life.
"They say time is a great healer but nothing heals that - some pains never disappear."
Competition
Quinn believes that he has joined a team who have a real chance of challenging for promotion to the Premier League, with the Bluebirds missing out on the play-offs last season by the narrowest of margins following a late loss of form.
He added: "Cardiff work hard to play the right way. In Scotland, it seems you are miles away from playing at that level.
"Here in Cardiff there is every prospect that we will be challenging again for promotion. We have a real shout, everybody here believes that.
"Yes, there is a lot of competition for places. But I'm ready for that.
"I will fight for the jersey and that means doing the right things and playing well. Cardiff have offered me a fresh start and I can put things that have happened behind me and look ahead.
"Yes, things got a bit ugly at times over the last year or so, but now I can look forward with confidence."
