Dowd happy to stick around at Steelers

Sheffield Steelers' forward Robert Dowd will remain at the club until 2016.

The Billingham-born 25-year-old, regarded by many as GB’s most talented forward, signed a two-year deal last summer when agreeing a return to the South Yorkshire club that he had played for previously between 2006-11, winning two regular season league titles and a play-off trophy.

Winning the play-off championship at the end of the 2013-14 season played a big part in Dowd committing his future to the club for longer.

“I came back to Sheffield to win,” he said. “We did that with a fantastic end to the season and the play off championship.

“There is something special about being a part of the Steelers right now.”

Dowd scored 30 times for the Steelers last season, leading the team in goalscoring. He returned for a second spell with the club last May after first joining the Steelers in 2006-07 following a promising time with the Steel City’s second tier team which was then known as Sheffield Scimitars.

During the 2008-09 campaign he came to the fore under then coach Dave Matsos, scoring 27 times and helping the Steelers to the league and play-off double as well as being voted the leagues best young player.

Dowd was a league champion again in 2010-11 under player-coach Ben Simon, but then left Sheffield to join Belfast Giants where he scored 40 times the following season to help Doug Christiansen’s team lift the Elite League title.

The ambitious Dowd then joined the Swedish Allsvenskan where he impressed with an impressive 24 points for Troja Lungby before heading ‘home’ to Sheffield last year.

Steelers’ head coach Gerad Adams said after agreeing his own new deal with the club after leading them to play-off success, said sorting out his British players was his No 1 close-season priority. It’s believed three more British players are close to agreeing deals in the next few days.

Having Dowd on board for the next two years was a big coup for the club, said Adams.

“Robert Dowd is a special talent and one we need to keep happy and motivated here,” said Adams, who arrived in Sheffield to succeed Christiansen, who was axed at the end of February.

“Youngsters up and down the land should take a look at his drive and commitment. When I came here I was excited to work with him and he never let me down for a moment.

“I think we all see him as the face of the Steelers and a leader in this club.”