TITLE-WINNING former Athletic loanee Paul McGowan is on the lookout for a new club after it was confirmed he would be leaving Dundee.

The 35-year-old, who moved to KDM Group East End Park in February for the remainder of the 2022/23 season, will be leaving the Premiership-bound Dark Blues after his contract expired.

Former Celtic youth McGowan, a League Cup winner with St Mirren in 2013 before moving to Tayside a year later, made 302 appearances for the Dens Park side during his nine-year spell at the club.

McGowan starred for them in five top flight seasons before their relegation in 2019, but, with current Pars boss, James McPake, as manager, helped them regain their Premiership status in 2021 with victory over Kilmarnock in the play-off final.

Injury, however, restricted the midfielder to 14 Dundee appearances during the season, with his final game for them coming in a 3-1 loss at Cove Rangers in early October.

After regaining fitness, he reunited with McPake to bolster the Dunfermline squad for the League One run-in, and he played 11 times as they secured the title by 14 points.

McGowan scored on his final Pars appearance - in the 2-0 win at Alloa Athletic on the last day of the campaign - and, afterwards, said he would "love to do another year" at East End.

When asked whether he would be beginning pre-season training, he said: "I don't know. I'll speak to the manager and we'll see.

"I'd love to do another year here, and do a pre-season with him, because I know his pre-seasons are tough, and we'll go from there, get fit, and we'll see. I know I've still got a lot to bring."

It remains to be seen whether McGowan will be of interest to McPake as part of his squad for next season's return to the Championship, but he departs Dundee having been described by them as a "bona fide Dark Blue legend".

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He found himself in possession of two league winner's medals from the same season, with Dundee's success in winning the second tier ensuring he added to the gong collected with the Pars.

Despite that, McGowan stated that he wanted "to do better", explaining: "I've came here, I've loved every minute of it.

"I was over the moon for Dundee - they deserve it as well because it's been a tough season for them. I was there for the majority of it, and it was hard to get it over the line. It's just the Dundee way; the way they do it, they always do it the hard way.

"You look back on it and I'm sitting here with two winners medals, so it's been a good season, but, in my own head, I want to do better because the injury took a bit of the stuffing out of me.

"I enjoy it, getting involved, but it's always hard. You probably won't see me at the front with the cup - I'll be at the back clapping the boys, because they deserve all the credit. It's the same with the Dundee boys - they deserve every ounce of credit they get because, let me tell you, it's not easy.

"I got up through the play-offs and it's probably one of the hardest seasons in my career. He (McPake) was the manager of some of the lowest points that I have had in my career; not personally, but as a team. If you would've told me before Christmas we would've went up through the play-offs, I would never have believed you.

"You get over the line and it's hard to enjoy. You enjoy it, but in a couple of days time, you start out on the running track again, and you're keeping yourself ticking over. That's just the way it is; never get too high and never get too low. I got told that when I was young. I always stuck with it, and we'll just see what happens now."

Dunfermline Press: Paul McGowan said he would love to do another year with Dunfermline following the conclusion of their League One campaign.Paul McGowan said he would love to do another year with Dunfermline following the conclusion of their League One campaign. (Image: Craig Brown.)

Following the season's end, McGowan felt that it had come at the wrong time on a personal level, continuing: "I'd been out for four months, a bit more, and just coming here where I said to the manager that I didn’t think that I was ready to go. I'm honest with him; I’m an honest player. I had trained three or four days and I was still getting adjusted to getting back. He said that even off the pitch I bring a lot.

“I get on with everybody, a bit of banter and he said coming here I would help them a lot but the boys did not need any help - they did it themselves. I come and gave a small bit of that. It's been great. I never lost it deliberately, but I fell back in love (with the game). I enjoyed coming in to training.

"I enjoyed it, and it probably has came at the wrong time, but that's football, isn't it?"

Meanwhile, Dundee also confirmed that another ex-Par, Paul McMullan, is also leaving the club.

The 27-year-old, who spent the 2016/17 campaign on loan at East End from Celtic, spent two seasons at Dens Park, following a four-year spell at city rivals, Dundee United.

During his time with Dunfermline, McMullan made 39 appearances, scoring seven goals.