East Fife star Alan Trouten confident he will still be banging the goals in next season at 40
Alan Trouten says a career-best goals total as East Fife sealed promotion to League One proves he can still bang them in next season.
Trouten, 39, scored 28 goals in total in 43 games, 22 in League Two, four in the League Cup group stages, and a further two in the play-offs, in wins over Edinburgh City and Annan Athletic.
That netted Trouten League Two Player of the Year and Top Goal-scorer as Dick Campbell's side made the step up to the third tier.
Trouten, from Cambuslang, said: 'It has been a great season. The big and only probably disappointment was not winning the league, we set out to win it at the start of the season.
'Fair play to Peterhead, I don't think the league table lies, and the best team won it in the end, but I thought it was massive for us to then win the play-offs.
'Usually when somebody does run the eventual league winners so close, they have that dip and they can't get themselves going for the play-offs.
'So I thought to then show that mentality and attitude to win the play-offs, I was extremely proud of myself and the boys to clinch it and win promotion.
'We wanted to win the league, we fell short, but the biggest thing was to get promoted, and we did that in the end.
'When you see the teams in it, I would imagine East Fife will be favourites for relegation – but we saw what Stenhousemuir did last season, they went up and made the play-offs.
'You don't want to put that pressure on you, but it can be done, and you need to set your targets high.'
On his incredible goals tally, Trouten said: 'My best ever was when I was at Albion Rovers when I got 28, with 20 being in the league, so I managed to beat my best-ever league total and equalled my overall total.
'I was hoping, as it was getting closer in the last couple of matches, to beat it – and I had a half-decent chance in the Annan game which is still haunting me.
'I thought I should have scored and that would have beat it, and sealed the game, but the main thing was to get the club back to League One.
'It's a good place to be. The club had been relegated the year before I went. In my first season we got to the play-offs but fell short, I don't think we were ready, and last season was a bit up and down with the managerial changes, but we had stability when the gaffer and his coaching staff came in.
'In the first full season under them, we were able to do it.'
Trouten turns 40 in November, but has absolutely no doubt that he can still do a job for the Fifers.
He said: 'If I didn't have the hunger or desire, or my body was telling me something different... I think I missed one game through injury and that's one of the biggest things that I'm proud of, that what I do away from the pitch allows me to play so many games.
'I imagine I would have been in the top three for minutes at the club, so to do that at my age I think that shows that I'm fit and able to do that again next season.
'I never set myself personal targets. It's not in my make-up, I just want to do as well as I can, and I feel I'm able to do that if my body holds up, and I've been proved correct this season.
'So hopefully it's another successful season for myself and the team.'
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