WHEN Scott Robinson first turned out in Kilmarnock blue, he failed to find the back of the net even once during a miserable spell in Ayrshire and left the club with his football career hanging in the balance.
Fast forward half a decade and he was a player transformed during Killie's win over Hamilton on Saturday. With a brace and a man-of-the-match performance, it was little wonder the visiting supporters were singing his praises as they set off back down the road from the FOYS Stadium.
They say you should never go back, but the 29-year-old appears to be on a one-man mission to make a mockery of that pearl of wisdom.
"I think if you ask the fans, I’m just completely different," he said. "I was playing in a wrong position, a deeper midfield role.
"It’s never been me. I’ve always been itching to prove myself in a forward position. It just happened to be I filled in there at the time.
"I’m not one to moan where I play, I’m happy to play wherever for the gaffer but I’ve always wanted to stamp my place up front. Thankfully I’ve done that now."
Having failed to leave his mark on Gary Locke's Kilmarnock, Robinson took the plunge and dropped down to League One. A spell at Dunfermline Athletic was quickly followed by a move to part-time East Fife, where he reinvented himself as an attacking outlet and it was no surprise when Livingston later came calling.
However, after helping the Lions roar back into the Premiership and to last season's League Cup final, the former Hearts man found himself phased out of the West Lothian team by manager David Martindale. The reasons for why remain unknown.
Of those last months at Livingston, he said: "It’s been tough, it’s been a hard time but these things happen in football, you just have to take it on the chin and move on. I’m just looking to kick start my career here now.
"You just have to deal with these things. It’s politics in football if you like. I just wanted a fresh challenge. What’s happened there is in the past now. Just glad to be here at this club and do well for this club."
While his return to Kilmarnock was stalled by an injury – "a tough time," Robinson says – he more than made up for it on Saturday. Not only did he score two goals, but his movement will have earned him a place in Brian Easton and Jamie Hamilton's nightmares that evening.
With Tommy Wright's side beginning to find their stride, Robinson is sure it is the best place for him to be.
"The gaffer knows what I’m about as well," he said. "I think I suit his style and if we can keep doing that and keep getting the best out of me hopefully I’ll get more chances and I’ll get more goals."
For Easton and his Hamilton teammates, Saturday was a timely reminder of the work new boss Stuart Taylor will have to do to turn the Accies' stuttering form around.
And having given up on his promise to simply watch from the stands and instead taken his place in the dugout shortly after Robinson made it two, Easton is convinced the former Hamilton player has what it takes to enjoy success in South Lanarkshire.
"Knowing him, he's a real positive coach," Easton, a former teammate of Taylor's, said.
"I think he wants us to play in a positive way and I think he's going to encourage that.
"He's got a lot to work with there and hopefully everyone can work together. That's one thing he's said - that staff, players, management, fans...everyone is in it together."
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