Peterhead winger Conor O’Keefe fears he will struggle to deliver on his manager’s expectation for spectacular goals on a regular basis.
The former Elgin City wide man scored two excellent goals as he helped his side pick up their first win in League One this season with a 2-1 victory against Kelty Hearts at Balmoor Stadium last weekend.
But O’Keefe had little time to celebrate his two fabulous efforts before Blue Toon boss Jim McInally told him he wanted more.
O’Keefe said: “The manager said after the game that’s my standard now but I told him I don’t know if I’ll be able to do what I did much more often.
“There’s no better feeling than when you score a special goal in a game when it matters.
“The second one especially, as soon as the ball left my boot I thought ‘this has got a chance.’
“The wind was against us and I knew I had to try to hit the ball harder.
“But I had to do it without putting it high in the air where it could get caught in the wind so it worked out perfectly.
“I scored one very similar at training on Tuesday so maybe I’ll have another go on Saturday.”
O’Keefe’s wonder strike crucial for Peterhead
The victory for the Blue Toon was a crucial one and it came in the toughest of circumstances after they were reduced to 10 men before half-time following the dismissal of Chris Kisuka.
O’Keefe believes his side’s tenacity and desire was key to their win.
He said: “It was a huge result for us. After going 1-0 up and then down to 10 men I feared another hard luck story for us coming but we showed a lot of character to stick together.
“Kelty Hearts are a good side but we soaked up the pressure well and the game plan worked perfectly as we managed to catch them on the counter and get our first win of the season.
“It was a great three points when you look at the way we had to really dig in as a team and work for each other. We left no gaps and gave them no encouragement before finding a winner.”
Blue Toon winger relishing chance to face former club
It may have been a tough start to the campaign for McInally’s side but O’Keefe is loving life at Balmoor after making the move from Borough Briggs in the summer.
He said: “I’m really enjoying it. Andy McDonald and Andy McCarthy told me how much they enjoyed it at Peterhead last year and how good a club it was.
“It sounded a good place for me to go and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far.”
O’Keefe will come face to face with his former club tomorrow when the Blue Toon welcome Elgin to Balmoor in the SPFL Trust Trophy.
The 24-year-old enjoyed his time with the League Two side but there will be no old pals’ act when he faces his former club in the cup.
He said: “I’ve got some good friends at Elgin but I’d love nothing more than to get another goal against them on Saturday that’s for sure.
“After Saturday’s win it is good to get a wee refresher in the cup but without a doubt, we want to get another win.
“To do that we’re going to need to show the same work ethic and intensity which we did against Kelty.”
