Liam Polworth admits he has a point to prove after joining Dunfermline on loan from Kilmarnock.
The creative midfielder made just 16 appearances following his summer switch from Motherwell to Killie, failing to win over previous boss Tommy Wright and faring little better under Derek McInnes.
With a recent influx of midfield talent at Rugby Park including Dylan Tait, Declan Glass and Dean Campbell, it became increasingly apparent that Polworth was not part of the plans in Ayrshire.
However, the former Inverness star has no doubt he can shine in the Championship.
“When you are a footballer and not playing on a Saturday, no-one is going to enjoy it,” said Polworth.
“That’s the best part of the job.
“Hopefully, I can bring that hunger (to play) into the team and help turn the results around.
“You want to prove that you are good enough to play. I certainly believe I am.”
Asked what went wrong at Killie, Polworth added: “Sometimes it doesn’t work out and maybe it (the move) wasn’t the right thing to do.
“I just need to go out and play football and hopefully that’ll happen at Dunfermline.”
Friends reunited
And a switch to Fife looks like the ideal fit.
Polworth played under boss John Hughes for two-and-a-half years at Inverness, with the experienced coach subsequently attempting to sign him for Ross County.
If anyone is going to give Polworth the platform and freedom to perform, it’s ‘Yogi’.
“I’m really looking forward to working under him again,” continued Polworth.
“He was a really good manager at Inverness and was brilliant with the boys, in terms of the style of play he implemented.
“I think he got that best out of everyone at that club. There was no reason for us to do as well as we did — but he was able to squeeze an extra bit out of every player
“The work he did every day, with the help of Brian Rice, galvanised the whole squad. They brought a direction to what we are trying to do and the success we had, for a small club, was massive.”
While Hughes secured European qualification and a first-ever Scottish Cup triumph for the Caley Jags, mere Championship survival is the order of the day for the Pars.
Dunfermline sit in a relegation playoff position, five points adrift of eighth-placed Ayr United.
Polworth added: “Watching Dunfermline, you can’t quite believe they are in the position they are in, especially considering some of the football they were playing against Kilmarnock (on Saturday).
“You can see that there is quality there to turn it around.”
