Dunfermline have completed the loan signing of Crystal Palace’s former Dundee United kid Scott Banks.
The 19-year-old winger has been a standout for the English Premier League outfit’s U-23s in recent times, impressing senior gaffer Roy Hodgson.
Banks swapped Tannadice for Selhurst Park in January last year before returning north to Alloa on loan for the remainder of the season.
And the Scotland U-19 cap – who had a spell at Clyde in 2019 – will now get more valuable first-team experience in the Championship with Stevie Crawford’s Pars.
#DAFC are very pleased to announce the signing of 19 year old @scottbanks45 on loan from @CPFC
➡️ https://t.co/NMw8WEIcKm pic.twitter.com/mXDKATeQHn
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) January 25, 2021
Crawford said: “We are delighted to bring in another attacking option to the team.
“Myself and Greg (Shields, No2) watched Annan Athletic play Clyde in the play final game in May 2019.
“Scott caught the eye then and we have monitored his situation since then.
‘He is going to be an exciting addition’
“We were interested when he was at Dundee United but for one reason or another it didn’t come to fruition that we could get him in on loan.
“Maybe it was because they were in the same division at the time but since then he has moved on to Crystal Palace.
“We have kept tabs on him and we just feel that he is going to be an exciting addition to add quality to that final third.”
What has Roy Hodgson said about Scott Banks?
In October, former England gaffer Hodgson said Banks was knocking on the Palace first-team door.
He told the South London Press: “If he continues doing as well as he has been for the U23s there’s no reason why that shouldn’t happen.
“I certainly wouldn’t rule it out. He’s a talented player, there’s no question of that.
“But at the moment our squad is looking quite big, so he’s going to have to produce the performances first and then we’ll see where that takes him.
“I can definitely see him training with the first team during the coming months.
“Ideally, you want to bring players up from the U23s when there’s a gap in your group, so you can give them a chance to show what they can do at first-team level and get that necessary first-team experience.”
He added: “He’s a very nice boy, there’s no doubt about that.
“He’s very polite, very well brought up, intelligent of course and he’s settled in very well, having come down from Scotland.
“Everything I could say about him would be nothing other than very positive things and I think at the moment I’m enjoying watching his performances and I’m very happy he’s getting credit for those performances.”
WATCH 📺 | A superb strike by Scott Banks to draw us level with Peterhead at Broadwood yesterday – also the on loan Dundee United player's first senior goal. 🥅 pic.twitter.com/m30vijAgPl
— Clyde FC (@ClydeFC) April 7, 2019
Last year Clyde boss Danny Lennon raved about Banks’ ability and called him “the boy next door that every mother wants as a son-in-law”.
The ex-United starlet youngster scored once in 15 appearances – a screamer at home to Peterhead.
Lennon told The Athletic: “You’re always accepted into the dressing room comfortably when you’re a good player.
“That was no exception with Scott. It wasn’t long before he was getting in amongst the banter, taking it and giving it out, which is fantastic.
“He was a young player who always knew that he had to earn the right to stay in there.
‘He did ordinary things extraordinarily well’
“And he had the utmost respect for players who were helping him to fulfil his potential.”
He added: “It’s easy to see if a player has a lovely touch, can handle the ball and dribble but it’s the maturity and the small, extraordinary things that stood out with Scott.
“He did ordinary things extraordinarily well. If there was a simple pass, he did it.
“Everyone goes on about first touch and how they handle the ball.
“Those things are important but the biggest thing that caught my eye was his guile and his balance in the way he moved about the field, as well as his agility.
“He was so pleasing to the eye. He had real elegance and guile.”