Rory McAllister is widely regarded as one of the best part-time goalscorers of the modern era in Scottish football.
In 500 domestic starts for Inverness, Peterhead, Brechin City, Cove Rangers and Montrose, he has netted a staggering 299 goals.
It’s an incredible record that spans three of the four SPFL divisions, with only the Championship left to complete his set.
But while he sits on the brink of the 300-goal mark, McAllister is not burdened by the weight of anticipation surrounding that magical milestone.
Quite the reverse, McAllister is rightly proud of his stats as he targets the breakthrough goals that can help power Montrose’s play-off push.
🎯 | Striker
With 295 goals to his name, Rory McAllister is on a quest to reach the 300 mark. We speak to the @MontroseFC forward about a career of scoring goals and what it takes to lead the line.
Watch the film at 10:30pm on BBC Scotland. pic.twitter.com/dqzN4AG4kW
— A View from the Terrace (@TheTerraceTV) November 4, 2022
“I’m not waiting impatiently for my 300th goal,” said McAllister.
“It’s not like I’m 14 or 15 goals away from it. I’m just one goal away. I’ve scored 299 so I can definitely score one more!
“It’s in touching distance and I’ll get it very soon.
“Hopefully, I’ll get a few goals and help us get the wins we need to start pushing towards the play-offs.
“In years to come I’ll sit down and look back on my goal record with a bit of pride but right now I want to do all I can to help Montrose.
In bits at Rory McAllister celebrating scoring against Raith Rovers with a dab, and then the wee ballboy copying him – pic.twitter.com/5HXwlAuVkk
— Craig G Telfer (@CraigGTelfer) November 19, 2017
“There’s more to my game than scoring. When I was younger I was all goals, goals, goals. I never did much else.
“But I started to realise that I had to contribute more and I’ve become much more of a team player over the years.
“I hope that I’m bringing that to the table at Montrose and the goals will follow.”
Rory McAllister: I’ve never played in the Championship before
McAllister has a chance to make the breakthrough when Clyde visit Links Park on Saturday.
After arriving in the summer, he grabbed his first Montrose goal against Clyde as they registered their 1,000th league win.
And a 300th goal would be nice but a win for Montrose, regardless, is far more critical.
Stewart Petrie’s side have only won one of their last eleven league matches.
But they are just four points off fourth place and are aiming to secure a play-off position for the fifth consecutive season.
“I’ve never played in the Championship before,” added McAllister.
“It would be nice to do that before I finish playing but it’s not the be-all and end-all if I don’t.
VICTORY OVER CLYDE PROVES 'GRAND' WIN FOR GABLE ENDIES
Thanks to both Rory McAllister and Kerr Waddell netting their first goals for the Club on Saturday, Montrose FC registered their 1,000th top flight league win. pic.twitter.com/aVl1hqGqJ9
— Montrose FC (@MontroseFC) August 23, 2022
“I’ve also never won a play-off and I know how close Montrose have come over the years.
“We need to start turning draws into wins. We’ve drawn far too many times this year.
“If we can get over the line and into the play-offs that would be fantastic.
“But right now there are six teams all vying for two play-off spots so it looks like it could go to the wire.”
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