Dunfermline Athletic boss James McPake has saluted Alex Jakubiak’s perseverance after the striker blew away months of frustration with his double against Ayr United.
The former Dundee marksman had gone 13 games without scoring since joining the Pars in September.
McPake, who signed the Englishman at Dens Park, was always convinced Jakubiak’s hard work would eventually pay dividends.
And the East End Park boss was thrilled to see things finally come together with a quick-fire brace inside the first ten minutes in the 2-2 draw with Ayr.
He said: “He has been frustrated that the goal hasn’t arrived.
“I didn’t want to come out and say it before the goal came, but you probably get to that point as a striker where everybody is saying that it’s been however many games since a goal.
“That’s what they live for, they play the game to score goals.
“So, that would have been eating away at him.
“His work-rate and everything in training and everything in games has been there.
“I think he put it all together. He took two good goals and he could have set another couple up.”
Jakubiak started as one half of a front two alongside Craig Wighton at Somerset Park.
He finished the 90 minutes playing on the flanks as Dunfermline were forced to patch together a line-up in the face of defensive injuries.
Unfortunately for the Pars, they could not hold on to the two-goal advantage Jakubiak earned them.
‘A real handful’
But McPake saw plenty of encouragement in Jaukubiak’s display ahead of Tuesday’s Fife derby against rivals Raith Rovers.
He added: “I think Saturday was the best he has been, but that’s on the back of the last couple of weeks of training. He was a real handful all afternoon.
“Again credit to him and Craig Wighton. Both of them started as strikers and both of them at one point were in behind a striker.
🎥 The footage from yesterday's 2-2 draw with Ayr United.https://t.co/cfnXDAhVtj
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) December 31, 2023
“Jak was out wide on one side and then out wide the other side.
“It was a really good afternoon for him, in terms of the two goals.
“But he’ll be disappointed as well that you score two goals and you don’t go away winning the game after going 2-0 up.”
