Dunfermline: Lewis McCann wins award after Hampden goal

The Pars forward admits he's watched the stunning free-kick against Queen's Park, which won him goal of the season at the Centenary Club Player of the Year Awards, "over a hundred times" and said it's one in his collection that is "very special".

The Northern Ireland under-21 international, who has netted seven times this season, also said that he wants to "be the best I can be", and praised his manager for helping him react more positively if he misses a chance.

McCann's effort from distance at the national stadium during Dunfermline's 2-0 win in September was voted by supporters as their favourite goal of the campaign, and the 22-year-old was delighted to pick up the award at Athletic's celebratory bash on Saturday evening.

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"I’d be lucky to get another like that. I don’t think I’ll ever hit another one like it, but hopefully I do," he explained.

"That one was quite special and it’s nice to get recognition for scoring a goal like that.

"There were all sorts of goals up against it. Team goals, Paul Allan had a really good goal, and he was unlucky that the week after the vote came out he scored a really good free-kick (at Arbroath).

"There were a load that could have won it but I was very happy.

"It (the goal) was in a special setting as well. It just randomly pops up on my phone all the time, and I think, ‘Oh, I’ll give that a wee watch’!

"I must have watched it over a hundred times, and there’s many different angles of it - even one where Sam Fisher’s head is right in the way of the top corner!

"It was a very special goal for me."

McCann joked that he doesn't repeat those types of efforts in training, quipping that is "where they go over the fence", and that he "was lucky that one happened in a match and it wasn't one that hit row Z".

He does, however, admit that missing opportunities in a match irritates him, but said reassuring words from James McPake has made that easier to deal with.

"We’re all competitive people and we want to be the best we can be," he said.

"It’s easy enough saying not to be annoyed when you miss a chance, but you’re always going to be annoyed - whether it’s a big chance or one where you had a very small chance of scoring.

"But the gaffer has been quite good about saying, ‘You’re going to miss chances, it is what it is, everyone misses chances’. It’s just about how you react to it. You can’t let it affect the rest of your game.

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"If you miss multiple chances, it’s obviously going to play on your mind, but he’s always supportive of you missing chances and trying different things. He’s always about how you react.

"If I miss an easy chance and I’m there throwing my hands in the air and sulking, he’s going to be annoyed by that, but, if I have a good reaction to it, then he doesn’t mind I’ve missed the chance.

"It sounds stupid saying it, but if you’re not there you’re not getting the chance, so you’ve always got to be switched on.

"If you’re thinking about a chance you missed in the first half, and you’re not in the right position in the second half to get the chance and try to score, then it affects the game and could affect the team."