Boyhood Par Chris Hamilton was delighted when he signed up at East End Park.
By the end of July he had netted his first goal for the club in what he described as a “proud moment”.
Recently at the Falkirk Stadium he celebrated the winning goal so much he had the actual goalscorer doubting himself.
On Tuesday night he captained Dunfermline Athletic for the first time, leading them out in the SPFL Trust Trophy versus Celtic B in a 2-1 win.
🎥 Watch the goals from yesterday's 2-1 win over Celtic B.
Full Highlights Later! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/zG39oH7dUv
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) November 16, 2022
He has had to bide his time while club captain Kyle Benedictus has played all but four minutes this season until this week.
Young stars
“It was nice,” said the 21-year-old. “It was a special moment for me to lead the boys out.
“But the most important thing was getting through to the next round and we’ve managed to do that.”
Hamilton said the Celtic youngsters were a difficult opponent in that they ape the style of the first team.
They pass it out from the back and looked to go down the sides of Dunfermline’s back three through their tricky wingers.
The Pars had youth on their side as well, with 16-year-olds Taylor Sutherland, Andrew Tod and Sam Young all starting the match.
Sutherland opened the scoring minutes into the game with a superb near-post header.
“I thought they were excellent, they’ve deserved their opportunity,” said Hamilton.
“I don’t think the manager just threw them in there because it was a game that he could do that.
“They’ve deserved their opportunity. They train well and they’ve been doing well in the reserve games.”
Return to Gayfield
On the opposition, Hamilton added: “They’re at Celtic for a reason. They’re the best young talent in the country.
“So we knew it was going to be a tough game.
“Their movement is really good… It was something we had to get to grips with in the game.
“I thought we did that, I thought the experienced boys – like Joe and Breeny, even myself and Nikolay – did quite well and helped the young boys through it as well.
The win takes Dunfermline into the fourth round of the competition, where they play Hamilton’s old side Arbroath next month.
The midfielder was a huge part of their overachievements last season.
“It’ll be strange going back up there,” he said, “but I’m looking forward to it.
“I know more than probably most how good a group they have up there, though they are struggling a wee bit this season.
“But I’m sure they’ll come good and it’ll be a tough game.”
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