Dunfermline hero Martin Hardie has revealed how he tried to stop his team-mates celebrating the last-gasp winner that sent the Pars top of the table.
Hardie rose to head home in the third minute of stoppage time against Ross County on Tuesday, which pushed them two points ahead of Raith Rovers in the race for promotion to the SPL.
It was as fantastic a finale as the East End Park men could have hoped for and mayhem ensued inside the County box as the ball hit the back of the net.
Every Dunfermline player made a beeline for Hardie, who instead of accepting the congratulations was rooted to the spot.
He then tried to push his colleagues away. He was not in the huff and has a good excuse for his behaviour.
“I do usually run away and celebrate with the lads when I score, but I hurt my back in training the day before and it was still a bit stiff during the game,” he said.
“So I didn’t want all that lot jumping on me. I told them not to do it but I had to fight them off anyway.
“I guess that shows the team spirit here because they were all so desperate to celebrate with me.
“Now I don’t know what I will do if I score against Cowdenbeath on Saturday. Hopefully my back will be better by then.”
The victory over County was hard earned, with little to separate the teams in a stuffy affair until Hardie’s late intervention.
“You can either score in the first minute and hang on for 89 minutes or score in the last and not give them a chance to get back I know which one I prefer,” joked Hardie.
“We knew were going to be in for a hard game up at Ross County and that was what it proved to be. This is the business end of the season and it’s not about silky football, it’s about points, and it doesn’t matter how you get them.
“We had to make sure we came away with a win because there will be a Saturday soon (April 9) when we are not playing but the others are.
“Now I am looking forward to the Cowdenbeath game. Cowden are a team that has improved a lot recently-they have recently drawn with Dundee and Falkirk and we respect them.
“It is a case putting the crash helmets on and digging in for wins between now and the end of the season.”