Working long hours during the day as a labourer and then training at night as a part-time footballer for Alloa was physically draining for Scott Bain.
Now, as a full-timer with Dundee, he candidly admits he has found the mental strain of keeping goal in the Premiership equally as demanding.
The 22-year-old, who was signed from the Wasps by Dens boss Paul Hartley during the summer, has been between the sticks for the Dark Blues in the last four games following the knee injury sustained by Kyle Letheren.
Dundee have won three and drawn one of those matches with Bain in goal but despite that fine start to his top tier career, he confessed he has found the step up a big one to negotiate.
Bain said: “I’ve been surprised at how draining it is playing games at this level.
“You have to concentrate for the full 90 minutes and it takes it out of you.
“In the lower leagues you can be off it a bit and maybe not as focused, but you can’t get away with that in the Premiership.
“It is tiring mentally more than physically I would say.
“When I started with Alloa, I worked as a labourer for a joinery company, which was tiring because some days you would start at 8am and be training at night.
“So you’d be out the door until half 10 at night and then back in at work the next day.
“You’d be knackered and it drained you.
“I gave that up when Alloa got into the First Division.
“But at this level, the football is so intense that sometimes your mind is still buzzing the next day because you’ve been so focused on doing the job properly.
“It’s hard to switch off straight away.
“It’s not something you can train yourself for I didn’t expect it to be like that.
“You have to stay on top of everything because at this level as soon as you switch off, the opposition will be right on top of you.
“But it’s enjoyable and the boys have been really helpful to me.
“Playing with better players every week, they make fewer mistakes.”
Bain will definitely have to be fully focused once again at Celtic Park this afternoon.
The Hoops are back at the top of the league and have an in-form striker in the shape of on-loan Manchester City player John Guidetti in their ranks.
Bain added: “Going to somewhere like Celtic Park means your concentration levels have to be spot on because with the players they have, they can punish you.
“That goes for the whole team, not just as a goalkeeper.
“We don’t want to give them a chance because they can punish you.
“Guidetti has come in on loan from Man City and he’s obviously a quality player.
“But we have good players here, good defenders who can stop him from playing.
“But Celtic are always going to be a good team no matter who is playing for them.
“It will be up to us to stop them, be brave on the ball and make things happen.
“We will have to take our chances when they come along.”
Bain made no secret of the fact when he first arrived at Dens that he wasn’t moving to Dundee simply to make up the numbers.
Letheren’s misfortune has now handed him his big chance and he is determined to take it, especially with games at venues such as Celtic Park to look forward to.
Bain added: “You don’t like to see a team-mate get injured but when you’re a back-up goalie, you need to be patient and bide your time.
“So when you get the chance, it’s up to you to take it. I think I’ve done well in the last few weeks.
“We have had three wins and a draw since I came into the team so I’m happy with the way things have gone.
“When I was playing part-time I always hoped that if I worked hard someone would give me a chance and I’d get to play in games like this.
“I’ve never played Celtic before and not even been to Celtic Park, so this is a first and I’m looking forward to it.”
Dundee will be without the injured Letheren and Peter MacDonald while there are doubts over Paul McGinn and Martin Boyle.
However, Simon Ferry and Luka Tankulic return to the squad.