IT’S been a summer full of mixed emotions for Ryan Williamson.

He returned from holiday to be greeted by the Laurel to his Hardy before he had to bid farewell to a man that was like a father to him.

From the high of seeing his pal, Kallum Higginbotham, sign a fresh contract, to the low of saying goodbye to John Potter, the right back has endured a rollercoaster pre-season.

He told Press Sport that he can’t thank either of them enough for the roles they’ve had in seeing him develop both on and off the pitch during his time at East End Park.

Williamson’s risen through the club’s youth system to a position where he’s trusted with the captain’s armband.

The honour against Tranmere Rovers was one of immense pride for the 22-year-old, who feels he may not have been able to obtain that achievement without the guidance and motivation from Potter.

He said: “Potts has been so influential in my career.

“I said to him that I’ll never be able to repay him for what he’s done for me.

“He’s shown me so much faith over the years when many haven’t.

“He’ll be a huge loss to the club but it’s part and parcel of football and he deserves this opportunity.

“With him being a Dunfermline boy, he’s loved his time here and he’s been through so much. He’s stuck by the club and he’s done so much for me.

“He always had faith in me and was a huge influence on not just myself but everyone at the club.

“He’s the type of guy you want in the changing room as if you’re coming off a heavy defeat or a game that didn’t go to plan, he’d always be the one to lift our spirits.

“It’s a great chance for him and he’ll be sadly missed.

“I’ll still keep in touch with him and I think he’s going to phone me this week to see how I’m getting on.

“It was emotional saying goodbye as we’ve joked that he’s been like a father to me but hopefully I’ll be able to work with him again in the future.

“He’d always be the one to get my confidence back up and give up so much of his time to try and make me a better player and I’ll forever be grateful to him.

“I’ll never be able to pay him back for the faith and work he’s done with me over the years.”

While he was gutted to see Potter leave, he was delighted to see a familiar face extend his stay at the club.

Higginbotham and Williamson have struck a “natural” partnership on the right flank since the former was signed in the summer of 2016.

Williamson joked that he was the most “relieved man on the planet” when the midfielder signed on the dotted line for another year.

He laughed: “I was constantly on at him in the summer asking when he was going to be signing again.

“When Higgy went out the team last year, you saw that I went missing for a wee bit.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Higgy. He’s always encouraging me and hopefully we can keep that partnership up and keep doing well together for the team.

“I was panicking that over the summer we were going to be split up.

“He’s always joked that if one of us leaves, then we have to go together!

“I’m loving my football here at Dunfermline, though.

“It’s nice to have been linked with other clubs, such as Hibs, but I love it here.

“The club have been brilliant with me through hard times. They’ve stuck by me when I’ve had operations and injuries and I owe the club so much.”