Since making his debut as an 18-year-old in the 2018/19 Irn-Bru Cup, Paul Allan has made 39 senior appearances for Dunfermline Athletic.
It took him until his most recent one to get his first goal for the club – though it came from him playing a more advanced role than usual.
With attacking options from the bench limited, manager James McPake turned to Allan to replace Andrew Tod on 55 minutes.
The 23-year-old midfielder was asked to play in the No 10 role just behind the two strikers and instructed to link with them.
Allan was involved in the build-up to the goal as well, showing ingenuity to find Josh Edwards – before being alert to the rebound and curling the ball high into the net.
⚽️ What a way for @Paulya11an to score his first Pars goal! I was glad to capture the moment in this video.
Full Dunfermline v Airdrie match vlog will be posted later this evening. pic.twitter.com/SPNxEkAihT
— Pars Review (@ParsReview) August 5, 2023
His with around 25 minutes was not only a cracker, it turned out to be the match-winner.
Points paramount
“I couldn’t ask for much more,” said Allan. “I’m happy to come on and contribute for the team.
“It was a big start to the season for us, it was a hard game, we had to dig it out in the end, but I am delighted to get my first goal and three points more importantly.
“It fell nicely, I just anticipated the second ball and when I saw it coming the first thought on my mind was just to hit it. Thankfully I caught it well.
“It is nice to score a goal but if it meant that we only got a point or we ended up losing the match, it is not as much of a thrill.
“The boys were brilliant when we went down to 10 men.
“Then I thought that we dug in well and we thankfully came away with the three points.”
Could Paul Allan start next week for Dunfermline?
That was necessary after Rhys Breen was ordered off for picking up a second yellow card. Their subsequent defensive showing left the Pars boss “super proud”.
Breen’s suspension and Allan’s match-winning goal may put the midfielder in contention to be named among the starting XI next weekend versus Dundee United.
With a Fife derby to follow that, getting points on the board early was crucial.
“In any season the start is obviously massive – to get our first game at home and get three points on the board with United away next week and Raith after that,” said Allan.
“Every game is going to be tough so to start with three points is massive for us.
“Last season was excellent for us, we only got beat once in the full league season.
“Saturday was about just keeping that momentum going. I’m glad that we did it and hopefully we can kick on next week.”
