Goalkeeper scores goal of the season after being brought on to play outfield
Arbroath's substitute goalkeeper Ally Adams scored a 30-yard screamer after being brought on to play as a striker in their Scottish Championship clash against Raith Rovers.
A player shortage meant manager Jim McIntyre was only able to name three outfield players on the bench and they suffered two more injury blows when captain Tam O'Brien and defender Aaron Steele were forced off.
O'Brien was replaced by Darren Lyon in the first-half and McIntyre opted to bring on his remaining two outfield players at half-time, with Arbroath trailing 1-0. As a result, when Steele went down injured, goalkeeper Adams was the only option to replace him.
And McIntyre decided to play Adams up front, with the move paying off in spectacular fashion when he scored a long-range stunner. With Arbroath 2-0 down, the ball fell to Adams around 30-yards out from goal as he spun and smashed a stunning half-volley past Raith goalkeeper Maciej Dabrowski.
The ball rattled in off the bar and sparked a stunning comeback for Arbroath, who earned a late draw against the league leaders when Scott Brown handled the ball in the penalty area and Leighton McIntosh scored the resulting spot kick.
To make things even more remarkable, Adams was making his league debut for Arbroath and BBC commentator Derek Ferguson branded his strike the "goal of the season." Ferguson said: "He drops into the hole, on the half-turn, drives forward five or six yards and unleashes an absolute piledrive.
"What a strike. He is a personal trainer and moments ago, he was turning around and having a go at the midfield players to ask why they weren't backing him up. I tell you what, that is goal of the season, brilliant, what a story, mad."
It comes after Arbroath had forward Jay Bird sent off in their previous league game against Dunfermline after a scuffle with his own teammate Jermaine Hylton. Both players were booked following the altercation, with Bird shown a second yellow card.
"The turning point in the game was the incident with our two players," McIntyre told the Daily Record after the match, which ended 1-1. "They weren't happy with each other.
"One wanted a shot, the other wanted a pass but what then ensued is totally unprofessional and both will be dealt with internally. For me to have to come out after a sterling effort by our players - including those two - to talk about that is not acceptable."
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