After such a bizarre turn of events, it is fitting that Arbroath’s Ali Adams followed it up with an interview to remember.
His sensational volley after being thrown on as an auxiliary striker amid an injury crisis sparked a comeback that ended in an unlikely point for the visitors.
Leighton McIntosh’s subsequent penalty earned a point for Arbroath at Stark’s Park, leaving the Scottish Championship league leaders licking their wounds after being in such a comfortable position at 2-0.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 𝐅𝐢𝐟𝐚 𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐚́𝐬 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 winner 2023.
🇱🇻 @ArbroathFC KEEPER (and cameo striker) @Alasdairadams1🧤
🎥 @RaithTV pic.twitter.com/zzSIsG3RPV
— 𝐄𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 🗒️ (@ewansmithpr) December 31, 2023
The headlines belonged to Adams though. He bounced into the media room post-match and declared he wasn’t great at doing press.
Clearly still buzzing from the once-in-a-lifetime exploit, he then spoke with an energy that he’d displayed during his half an hour or so on the pitch – his Championship debut, no less.
Ali Adams: It’s not just about me
Including his exuberant celebration after being greeted with an ironic “Whey!” from the home support when he took to the field – but he had the last laugh.
https://t.co/bggFjYX35u pic.twitter.com/uYvvrhWTok
— Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001) December 30, 2023
“When I scored I was thinking in my head ‘don’t get carried away with the celebration as we’re 2-1 down’.
“Then I thought: ‘Stuff it’. It’s once in a lifetime so who cares?
“All the boys have come together and it’s not just about me. I know it was a good goal but it’s about the boys who dug in to get a result.
“We’ve got a really thin squad that will hopefully get rectified over the next few weeks but all the boys have dug in amazingly well since the new gaffer took over.
“He asked me if I was willing to go on and of course I was. I’d always go on and help the team.
“What was the attendance? 3,800? About 3,800 people thought it was a joke but one person in the stadium didn’t. I’ll let you guess who that one person was!
“I’m confident in my abilities. I know I can play a bit. I wouldn’t quite have expected that but I knew I could go on and have a go.
“It’s instinctive and was one of those situations where no one was expecting anything from me.”
“I know people say this all the time but I knew as soon as I hit it that it was a goal”.
No goalkeepers’ union
The clip of the goal has gone viral, nearing six million views on Twitter alone at the time of writing.
Despite his performance in attack, his manager Jim McIntyre insists it is a one-off and, besides, Adams still has ambitions of usurping Derek Gaston, despite his huge respect for the experienced keeper.
The unwritten code of the ‘goalkeepers’ union’ didn’t extend to Kevin Dabrowski in the Raith goal, however.
Did he feel guilty for sticking such a sweet strike beyond a fellow goalie: “Absolutely not, get it up him! Have some of that!” laughed Adams in response.
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