Christian Nade is determined to dazzle against Dunfermline after his Raith Rovers debut left him seeing stars.
The powerful Frenchman won a penalty on his maiden outing for Rovers on Saturday, crashing to the turf after being kicked in the head as Forfar defender Darren Dods tried to clear the ball.
Loons boss Dick Campbell accused Nade, 29, of “collapsing like a set of broken Venetian blinds”. However, he was still visibly dazed as he left the stadium later.
And the former Hearts and Dundee striker revealed that, despite playing on for a further 55 minutes following the head knock, he had no idea where he was as he functioned solely on instinct.
“I can’t remember too much about the incident. I felt the hit, full on the side of my head, and everything after that is a blur,” Nade said.
“For the rest of the match I had no idea where I was, I was just playing without thinking and trying to help the team. At one stage I didn’t even know I was on the pitch.
“I was so confused, that I thought we had made three changes.
“That is why I did not talk to the bench about coming off I did not want to leave the team with 10 men.
“Then Jimmy (Scott) told me we had only made two substitutions! So I spoke to the bench and they took me off.
“I was a bit shaken up but, after a day of rest on Monday, I will be ready to hopefully score against Dunfermline.”
Nade’s eventful bow for the Fifers also saw him claim two assists as Raith secured a 4-2 League Cup win over Forfar after extra-time.
Despite that all-action display, Nade admits he was disappointed not to get off the mark himself and he intends to remedy that in the best way possible by finding the net against Rovers’ fiercest foes.
Nade, who scored twice in Edinburgh derbies for Hearts, admits he laps up the pressure of local rivalries and can’t wait to cross swords with the Pars tonight.
“This is the kind of game that I like high pressure and it is when I bring my best performances. I have great memories from playing against Hibs,” he said.
“I love these derby matches, every one is like a cup match. Form doesn’t matter, the division isn’t important. It is nothing like a league match and all that matters is
winning.
“This season will have so many special matches. Hibs, Hearts and Rangers will all be amazing and I cannot wait. But I know how important it is for Raith Rovers to win against Dunfermline and hopefully we do that.
“I would have loved to score against
Forfar, but maybe I was just saving myself for the match against Dunfermline as I know how much that would mean to the supporters.”