Former Ayr United talisman Michael Moffat believes the majority of supporters understand his decision to leave the club in the summer as he prepares to return to Somerset Park for the first time in Dunfermline colours.
Moffat, 29, plundered 65 goals during his three-and-a-half years with the Honest Men, becoming a firm fans’ favourite following his step up from non-league Girvan.
However, with full-time football a long-term dream for Moffat, interest from East End Park proved too good to turn down and he penned a deal with the Fifers in the close-season.
And he is adamant that his experience on Twitter – where so many footballers find themselves mercilessly abused – suggests he will not be vilified in Ayrshire.
“I think the majority understand my decision,” explained Moffat. “You can connect with fans through social media and I got a lot of good luck messages wishing me well.
“Whether that’s the same tonight is another matter! While criticism is not something that would bother me, hopefully any stick I get wouldn’t be too harsh because I have a lot of time for the club and the fans.
“This was the first game I looked for when the fixtures came out. I thought it would be the first game of the season. It will be good to get back there and see the boys again and everybody working at the stadium.
“Ayr took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to step up from the juniors, so I have a lot to thank them for. I enjoyed every minute of my three-and-a-half years there and they gave me a platform to full-time football.
“But Dunfermline was too hard to turn down – at 29 years old I might have not had another shot at full-time football. I thought I would regret it for the rest of my career if I turned it down. It was the right decision, I’m sure of that.”
Ayr went to extreme lengths in a futile bid to hold on to Moffat, cobbling together a competitive financial package and adding coaching incentives to the prospective deal.
When Moffat turned down the offer, chairman Lachlan Cameron was forced to reveal the extent of their efforts in a bid to placate supporters, including offering to name a coaching school after the player.
“The ‘Michael Moffat Academy’ might have been nice, although it was slightly exaggerated. It was just Tuesday night training I was running in a small sports hall,” smiled Moffat.
“I don’t think they were going to build a multi-million pounds centre of excellence! People might have picked that one up wrong.
“They certainly did all they could to keep me, but you don’t want to go through your entire career playing part-time.”
Despite striking up a promising partnership with young forward Gozie Ugwu in recent weeks, Moffat has endured three games without a goal for the Pars.
He knows his return to Somerset Park would be the perfect time to end that mini-drought – and is still weighing up what his celebration would be.
Moffat added: “I’m due a goal and, back in familiar surroundings where I have scored a lot in the past, it might be the perfect time to find the net. It’s more important that the team gets another three points.
“We’ll see how much abuse I get before I decide whether to celebrate. If people are steaming at me, I might be tempted to rub it in!
“But, no, I probably won’t celebrate – although it is difficult to say until you are in the moment.”