Kilmarnock result for Fife Elite
Thursday, 23rd Dec 2021Paul Allan:- “We have always just wanted to get that chance in the first team.
Above: Matty Todd, Lewis McCann and Paul Allan
Fife Elite is heading for closure at the end of the year but they could take kudos from the trio of graduates that started together for Dunfermline in the cinch Championship against Kilmarnock. John Hughes’ starting eleven included Paul Allan, Matty Todd and Lewis McCann but all record of that will disappear as a result of the abandonment of the match.
The three had previously started for Dunfermline in August 2018 when Allan Johnston fielded an alternative selection against Inverness Caley Thistle in the Irn Bru Cup but talking to the media on Zoom this week Paul Allan said it is what the three of them had sought for a long time:-
“We have always just wanted to get that chance in the first team. We were given the opportunity to play, we just need to grasp it and kick on to stay in the team.”
Paul was at Fife Elite for a good few years after it changed from Dunfermline to Fife Elite and he admitted that it played a huge part in his development.
“In particular Stephen Wright who was Head of Youth at the time, he helped coach the under 17s when I was playing. He played me in different positions every week just to get familiar with them. I feel that Stephen Wright helped me a lot just to understand different positions on the pitch, and where you need to be.”
At the age of 21 Paul is the senior of the threesome, sixteen months older than Matty and Lewis. They have all been given the opportunity by John Hughes to show what they can do and Paul explained how he was pleased to have the chance to impress in a midweek closed doors friendly against Livingston:-
“Since the manager has come in I have given it my all every day in training. The bounce game was an opportunity for me to show the gaffer what I can do. I was playing in a slightly different position to what I normally play but I felt comfortable in it and it was just trying to implement things that we had talked about in training into the game. I am just glad that I did well in it and seemed to catch his eye to get the start against Kilmarnock.”
The different position was to the side of a three in midfield and Paul claimed that although he is more comfortable in the holding position, playing to the side is something different and something that he enjoyed getting used to in the bounce game. The experience will certainly help his progress:-
“If I ever go back to that holding midfield role I know the types of movements and passes that the players in front of me would like to receive. It helps my development all round so it was good to get the game time.”
Kilmarnock would have been Paul’s 10th start of the season but he is hopeful that he will get another chance of that at home against Arbroath on Boxing Day. The squad is just focused on playing the games, making sure that they are ready to go and trying to take all three points. Unfortunately for the time being that will not be in front of fans. Paul continued:-
“You want to play in front of as large a crowd as possible but as a team we just have to take what comes. We got off to a good start under the new gaffer and the fans got behind us so they will be missed. We will give our all to win games whether there are fans here or not.”
The implications of the latest covid restrictions will also impact the Fife Derby and the chance for Paul and his team mates to silence a full house at Stark’s Park in the New Year fixture:-
“That would have been the ideal scenario. I got a taste of it when we played them here at East End and we were just disappointed to lose that late goal. Having the fans behind you makes such a difference, so it will be disappointing at Stark’s Park if there is only 500 fans there.”
Turning to Sunday’s match against Arbroath, Paul continued:
“We will be in on Christmas morning - it is the day before the game so we need to go through a few things. I reckon it will be relatively sharp but it is something that you need to do especially with it being the day before we play Arbroath. We just need to go over a few things that hopefully we can take into the game on Boxing Day.”
No matter what happens in Arbroath’s season they will enjoy the honour of being top of the Championship at Christmas. Paul feels that even they wouldn’t have expected to be where they are right now.
“Fair play to them, they are flying in the league. They seem to have a good structure behind them, it will be a tough game but one where we will be looking to take all three points.
“I think they have a really good morale, they seem to have a good bunch of lads. Their gaffer seems to have a laugh with them and it shows, they all seem to get along well, they have a good shape and are hard to break down. They are not nice to play against.
“Fair play to Arbroath for the way that they have started this season but hopefully we can do a job on them come Sunday.”
Paul Allan also spoke to Jordan Burt for ParsTV
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