DECLAN McManus has admitted he was relieved to end his mini goal drought by scoring the winner at Dunfermline on Saturday.

The Aberdeen loanee netted in the third minute of stoppage time to take his Ton tally to an impressive nine goals in 13 appearances.

But after failing to get his name on the scoresheet for three successive fixtures prior to the weekend, McManus was adamant he would not let the barren run stretch to four games.

He told the Tele: “Before the game, I was thinking to myself: ‘You can’t go four, you can’t go four.’ “It was never affecting me during games, it’s more afterwards you think about it.

“But sometimes you do go through those runs and then get a massive goal like Saturday’s.

“It wasn’t my best performance, but as a striker, if you can play that way and still score it sometimes works out better for you.

“My shooting boots weren’t on until the last minute.

“I actually hit it into the ground and it spun — and I think if I hit it cleanly the keeper would have saved it.

“Those are the wee bits of luck you need sometimes.”