The performances of Kyle Gourlay at the start of this season have caught the eye of Cove Rangers manager Jim McIntyre.
Gourlay has made himself first-choice between the posts at Cove and has been a consistent performer under the new boss.
The ex-Dundee youngster worked with McIntyre during his time at Dens Park but had endured a difficult spell in his career.
He was relegated with Hamilton Accies in 2021 before going part-time and joining Cove last year. Gourlay spent much of the season behind Stuart McKenzie in the pecking order but a change of manager has given the 23-year-old a new lease of life.
“I think he’s had a really strong start to the season,” said McIntyre. “I knew Kyle from my time at Dundee, even though he was on loan most of the time I was there.
“I saw him in training and I knew he was a good keeper. We’re lucky we’ve got two good goalkeepers. Having spoken to the previous staff, he’d had a bit of a turbulent time at Hamilton but I’ve always believed he’s a very good goalkeeper.
“I wanted to make sure I showed that confidence in him, to allow him to do his stuff and perform. He’s been excellent so far.”
McKenzie, who celebrated his testimonial at Cove earlier this summer, was the preferred choice under previous manager Paul Hartley and kept 17 clean sheets on the way to the League One title last season.
Gourlay said himself last month that the transition from full-time to part-time had been harder than he had anticipated.
He has recently taken a job with Openreach to give himself some focus away from football.
“That can always be a bit of a shock for a young professional, to come to terms with the thought of going part-time. It can be a scary one,” said McIntyre.”You want to kick on and stay with a full-time club.
“Mindset-wise, he deserves a lot of credit. He seems settled, he seems happy and long may his performances continue.”