One of the most iconic names in the last few decades of Scottish football has hit a memorable milestone, and he has richly merited the headlines and accolades his feat has this week generated.
When Rory McAllister netted his 250th league goal against Edinburgh City at the end of last month, the veteran striker joined an exclusive club of three. He is now up there tucked in just behind Ally McCoist (282 goals) and Gordon Wallace (264), and while time might be against him overtaking those legends, his place in the record books is assured.
Having been part-time for much of his career, the big man first came to public attention during two goal-laden seasons with Brechin City.
For nearly a decade after that, he was hitting the net with impressive regularity for Peterhead, averaging well over a goal every two games, and it was a rare Saturday afternoon when I did not mention his name on Sportsound.
I know there was interest in Rory at various points, opportunities for him to return to full-time football, but like any player in his situation, he had to weigh up what worked best for him and his family, and the offers were passed over.
Instead, he concentrated on becoming a Peterhead legend, remaining at Balmoor until January 2020 when Cove Rangers lured him down the coast. His time at Balmoral was relatively short, he only completed one full season there, but he racked up 80 appearances and remains a firm fans favourite.
He also played a major role in securing the 2021-22 League One title, and when he left a few months later, he did so having netted 31 goals for the club. Only Mitch Megginson has scored more for Cove in their SPFL era.
Rory had a year at Montrose, before returning to his spiritual home last summer, and it was fitting that his landmark goal came for the club with which he is most closely associated.
The question will always linger as to whether or not he might have made even more of an impact had he taken the plunge and returned to the full-time game.
I have no doubt he would have scored goals at a higher level, but I think it fair to suggest he would not have hit the 250 mark quite yet had he made the step up.
We will never know how that might have turned out, but what is inarguable is that Rory McAllister has been a consistent and lethal finisher for the past decade and a half, and he will surely go on adding to his tally for some time yet.
I noticed he has a testimonial coming up, and I hope it proves to be a fruitful celebration for the striker. His contribution to Scottish football in general, and to Peterhead in particular, deserves that kind of recognition.
Positives and negatives for Scotland
It was a strange double-header for the national team; two defeats, some awful goals conceded, but the sense that we somehow emerged from it with a little more reason to be hopeful, despite the horrible run of results being extended.
The loss to Poland was entirely self-inflicted, but the second half offered more encouragement from an attacking point of view, and that was carried over to Lisbon last Sunday.
Portugal clearly deserved to win that match, and luck was with us on occasion, but the team played very well and caused an excellent side some major problems.
Steve Clarke’s decision to put out the same starting XI raised a few eyebrows, but he was vindicated, and the manager has shown he is open to change, albeit at his chosen pace. As he has mentioned, it will be evolution not revolution, but the hope is we will see more of the likes of Ryan Gauld, Ben Doak, Lewis Morgan and Tommy Conway as the group progresses.
It is entirely likely the Scots will finish bottom of the section, but if we at least see progress in terms of the performance levels against serious opposition, the side will be in a better place for the World Cup qualifying campaign due to begin next March.
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