PAUL McMULLAN has revealed he almost joined the Pars in January but hopes they will benefit from his temporary stints elsewhere.

The versatile 20-year-old put pen to paper on a season-long deal from Celtic last week as part of the deal that took PJ Crossan to the Scottish champions and made his home debut as a substitute in Saturday’s win over Hearts.

McMullan, a former Scotland under-19 international, is no stranger to East End Park having scored in a 3-2 defeat while on loan at Stenhousemuir in 2015, after which he went on to enjoy spells with St Mirren and Morton last season.

The Renfrewshire duo will be Championship rivals for the Pars this term but, speaking to Press Sport, McMullan said: “I heard there was talk in January about coming here and it came close but something else came up at the time (Morton).

“I’ve been out on loan for the last year and a half and I’d rather be out there playing than in the under-20s. It’s not the same and you can feel that. I was fortunate to go to two really good clubs and I think I learned more about myself, like if I’m maybe out of the team and how to deal with it by not getting down too much.

“Managers have big squads and the licence to change things so I hope I can draw on that.

“This is a great opportunity and it gives you confidence straight away when the manager’s been keen to sign you. I hope to prove I have something and get into the team.”

The Stirling-born player, who can play in a wide role, just behind the strikers or up front, has been at Celtic for 10 years, progressing through the Hoops’ academy but has yet to make a first team appearance for his boyhood heroes.

While he sees playing for Dunfermline as an opportunity to show his employers at Parkhead his talent, he continued: “This is a chance to get games and, maybe if things at Celtic don’t work out I can show other managers they can trust me to do a job for them.

“I’ve got a few good games on board and every game in the Championship will be tough. Teams are tough to break down but we’ve got a very good side and I don’t think it’s unrealistic to think we should aim for the top four. The guys are great and there’s a nice atmosphere in the changing room.

“I know how big a club this is. Playing here for Stenhousemuir is one of the games I remember more fondly and the fans carried them home that day. As an opposition player being on the end of it wasn’t nice but I hope they can be the 12th man for us this year.”