THE difference between Edinburgh and Glasgow in one name?

Alex Allan. Last season he was a figure in the wilderness in Scotland's capital, sitting on the sidelines week in, week out, earning just two appearances from the bench in the entire campaign. The solution? Go west young man.

The effect was instant. The 22-year-old prop has started two of the four Guinness PRO12 games Warriors have played and come off the bench in another. Helped by the confidence boost of winning his first Scotland cap against the USA in June almost as soon as he had started his contract, he has been playing so well that nobody has really noticed the absence of Ryan Grant after shoulder surgery in the summer.

In the meantime, Edinburgh have Alasdair Dickinson, who may be on Scotland duty for at least three months of the regular season and has to be rested from time to time in between. South African Wicus Blaauw is injured, but even when fit is no better than Allan and unlikely to improve. Add Alan Dell, another South African who has been injured since he arrived so we can't judge how good he is, and you have the full complement a few weeks ago.

To be fair to those in the east, Allan was offered a full-time deal by Glasgow after being a development player at Edinburgh, and they did sign Rory Sutherland from Gala just before the start of the season. Even with him around, though, Edinburgh's loosehead resources are desperately thin.

"There was an opportunity to go to Glasgow and it seemed to suit me, the way I play, the way Glasgow play," Allan said. "It seemed like the sensible choice, it was something I wanted to do. There were early talks with Edinburgh, but once I started speaking to Glasgow that was my focus. I had made my mind up by then."

Despite all the depth and competition at Glasgow, they had the confidence to throw Allan in at the deep end and reaped the reward when he flourished. He made his debut up against Leinster's Mike Ross, the Irish Test tighthead, and showed not just a strong scrummaging technique but also a willingness to run with the ball that suggests he has a big future.

"It is a case of developing more," he said. "I am paying a bit more attention to the fine detail and working a lot harder on the basics of my game. The environment here at Glasgow is really good, everyone is willing and it is all geared around winning.

"Everyone is very focused on helping each other out; it is a positive environment to be in. There is a lot of enjoyment as well. It is fun to come in and work. We have a good laugh, but work hard."

The bigger numbers at Glasgow play a role too. Having a player such as Grant to advise him and Euan Murray to test himself against in training is invaluable. "There are a lot of top-quality props and if you can cope with a scrummaging session against them, you know it is going to be all right on the pitch," Allan said. "Euan, especially, has been very good. Each tighthead scrummages in slightly different ways, but he is one of the toughest I have come up against, certainly one of the strongest," he said.

Edinburgh's loss is Glasgow's gain, while Allan has been handed the chance to blossom in a winning side.