AFTER shining on his competitive debut for new club East Fife, former Arthurlie winger Caolan McAleer heralded his time at Dunterlie as the ‘best step I ever took.’ The 20-year-old enjoyed a season long loan spell in Barrhead two seasons ago and since then has gone on to enjoy first team football in the senior ranks with Airdrie and now East Fife following his release from Alan Archibald’s Partick Thistle.

And, speaking after a sparkling performance in a 2-1 win over Forfar Athletic in the first round of the Petro Fac Training Cup, in which he set up the opener, McAleer exclusively told Barrhead Sport: “I absolutley loved it at Arthurlie — I really liked the managers and they really looked after me, toughened me up and showed me the big bad world of first team football.

“When I joined Arthurlie I was signed up for Partick Thistle so when I went on loan to Arthurlie it was a real learning curve for me, but that was the best step I have ever took — going to the juniors to play every week.” The highly touted Northern Irishman has gone from strength to strength since completing his spell at Dunterlie, enjoying another successful loan at Airdrie last season before completing a permanent move to Bayview in the summer.

With the junior season set to kick off in the coming weeks McAleer insists he still looks out for the club that gave him his first real run of first team football, adding: “I still keep an eye out for them and follow them every week — I am always checking my phone on a Saturday to see if they have won because I want to see the boys do well and I know they done well to stay up last year.

“If a game isn’t on on a Saturday or we aren’t playing I would love to go along to Dunterlie and see the boys again because I haven’t seen them play since a friendly last season against Thistle.

“I was playing every week and I thought I done really well. In the end I was just really unfortunate I couldn’t break in to the Thistle team when I went back.” It was Mark Cameron, then ‘Lie boss, who brought McAleer to the club and the tricky winger admitted he still relies on Cameron and, now boss, Gavin Duncan for advice on a regular basis.

Moving over from Northern Ireland at a young age, McAleer was thrust into his footballing education with Arthurlie.

Many would have cracked having moved away from family and friends but the youngster admits he owes everything to the club that made him feel so welcome.

He said: “From all the teams I have been with Arthurlie probably have most friendliest group of boys I have been a part of.

“I would probably hang about with them the most, the likes of Paul Stewart and David Merriman, who it is great to see is back to fitness and in the team this year, but I still chat to all the boys, they are spot on and I really get on with them all.

“They helped me settle in and feel welcome and that was a massive help to me.

“I still keep in touch with Mark and Gavin, it was the other way about when I was at the club, if I have any questions I just give Gav a text or Mark and they help me out because they still want to see me do well.

“They were the ones that looked after me at a senior team — the juniors is a real eye opener.” Meanwhile new boss Gary Naysmith highlighted McAleer’s potential.

He said: “Caolan destroyed us last season in the three games he played against us for Airidrie and on the back of that I didn’t need to see him again, if he was available I wanted to sign him.

“We had to work hard to get him obviously, he was full time and now he has became part time. He has moved away from his family so we had to work very hard to get him.

“He has been excellent throughout pre season, against the likes of Hearts and Hamilton he looked very lively and I think that has gave him the confidence and he carried that on in the first half.

“He is going to become a fans’ favourite because he has got the ability to go past players, he is that skilful and quick and he can use both feet.”