Aidan Connolly is grateful to have his apprenticeship as a gas engineer on the back burner.
But the Raith Rovers winger is fully focused on igniting his career at Stark’s Park.
Connolly, 25, penned a two-year deal with Raith during the close-season and will be charged with providing the fire-power from the flank for James Keatings, Lewis Vaughan and Matej Poplatnik.
Following two campaigns in League One with Falkirk, it is a golden opportunity for Connolly to again challenge at the right end of the Championship under the tutelage of boss John McGlynn — for whom he has effusive praise.
“The gaffer has been brilliant with me and is just so precise,” the former Dundee United winger told Courier Sport. “I can honestly say that I’ve never had a manager who is so intelligent in the way he manages and approaches coaching.
“It’s exciting to be involved with, because you don’t usually see that in Scottish football. You just need to be open and take it all on board. You are learning something new every day and there’s no better place to be.
“Everything you do through the week is detailed and done for a purpose. It’s not like you just go in, do your work, then straight up the road.
“You are doing extra sessions, thinking about patterns of play; analysing your game as an individual — all with a view to doing something on a Saturday.”
Now in his second spell with Rovers, Connolly is visibly enthused regarding the campaign to come.
But he is acutely aware that one cannot rely on the vagaries of football.
The son of former St Johnstone and United player Paddy, Aidan is steeped in the game, but also knows it is a livelihood which can be taken away with one errant tackle or a sustained loss of form.
So much so, that Connolly pursued a gas engineering apprenticeship while on the books of Falkirk.
“I spoke to PFA Scotland and it felt like a good opportunity to take my mind off of football — because you can often be in that bubble,” continued Connolly. “The fact is: you never know what will happen next.
“One injury or one bad year could be the end of your full-time career. So I got my gas apprenticeship to fall back on. It’s good to have a qualification and something else in the background.”
He added: “This can be a tough business but if I keep doing the right things and working hard, it’s going to pay off — my focus is on Raith Rovers and really kicking on and having a good season.”
The aim is for that to begin with Raith’s Premier Sports Cup opener at Cowdenbeath on Saturday.
He added: “It’s a tight pitch and they will be organised, so we need to match their effort and get off to a flyer.”
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