Fraser Murray revealed it was a case of practise makes perfect after his extra work on the training ground culminated in a stunning free-kick against Kilmarnock.
The Hibernian loanee added the icing on the cake to another impressive Dunfermline performance with a pinpoint strike on 83 minutes as the Championship team completed a 3-0 win at Rugby Park.
Murray’s powerfully curled finish into the top corner gave Killie keeper Colin Doyle no chance.
He said: “I thought it was a bit far out because the goalkeeper was standing in the middle of the goal but I’ve been practising them quite a lot so I thought I’d go for it and thankfully it paid off.
Good morning #DAFC fans 🏁
ft a @frasermurray20 mint from the on loan @HibernianFC midfielder😎 pic.twitter.com/4PrvsiNLsb
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) October 14, 2020
“I think I just need to keep shooting from outside the box because it’s been working for me so far this season.”
Pars manager Stevie Crawford revealed that Murray was ‘more than capable’ of producing that quality from set-pieces, the 21 year-old having earlier opened his account for the club with a smart header from Declan McManus’ cross.
“I actually said to one of the boys before the game to stick it to the back post and I’d score a header.
“It worked, so I’ll need to do it more often because I don’t normally score headers but it didn’t give me as much pleasure as the second goal,” added Murray.
Victory against a Premiership side, who handed debuts to three 17 year-olds yet still had a higher average age than Dunfermline, means the Fifers only need a point against Clyde in their final game to guarantee top spot.
They’ve also registered three consecutive clean sheets which Murray believes is important heading into Saturday’s Championship opener against Inverness.
“We’ve been really good in these games all over the park. The boys have been defending well and that’s three clean sheets in a row. We look solid at the back and are scoring different types of goals so it’s looking good for the start of the season. Hopefully we can carry it into Saturday.
“The gaffer wants us all working hard, the wide players getting back and everyone needs to put a shift in but the back four have been brilliant,” concluded Murray.
