Jamie Gullan: Former Hibs striker explains gratitude to Gala Fairydean Rovers

Former Hibs striker Jamie Gullan has told of his gratitude to Gala Fairydean Rovers for giving him a leg up in his sporting career as a teenager.

Gullan, 23, is now challenging for promotion to the Premiership with Raith Rovers. He was a rookie Hibs forward in 2017 when he was loaned out to the Borders Lowland League side and looks back on that stint as a vital learning experience.

He said: “It was my first taste of men's football. Their manager was Steven Noble. Obviously going from playing under-18 reserve football to men’s football was a big step up. Playing against experienced boys was a good test, and looking back it was a good first taste of men’s football and it definitely helped me to improve my game.

“It was an eye-opener as to the way you had to be physically and fitness-wise. You learn a lot from playing against older people when you're younger. That definitely was a good first loan move and it was a really good club filled with really good people that were there to help. I was on loan there from August 2017 to January 2018, I think, and I got 10 or 15 games under my belt, scoring three or four goals.”

Jamie Gullan playing for Raith Rovers against Queen's Park, another of his old sides, at Ochilview Park earlier this month. Picture: Ian Cairns

The Edinburgh-born former Hearts youth player later went on loan to Queen’s Park, from January to May 2018, and three times to Raith – from February to May 2019, August of that year to January 2020 and February to May of 2021 – the Kirkcaldy side then signing him up on a two-and-a-half year deal in January of this year.