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Coming on with 15 minutes left in the match, with the Bairns leading 2-0, he sealed the three points with two cracking strikes and a coverted spot-kick.

The first of which came from the halfway line, catching the ball on the volley and firing home into an empty net with goalkeeper Stuart McKenzie tracking back.

McGuffie told the Falkirk Herald: “I just sat in my kit after the game in the changing room for a fair bit of time, just savouring the moment to be honest, something like that doesn't come around very often.

Falkirk's Craig McGuffie admits he was overcome with emotion after netting his first senior career hat-trick against Peterhead (Pictures by Michael Gillen)

“I can’t even remember what time I came on at. When you come off the bench, you are dreaming of doing something like that.

“The boys are saying the first goal was near halfway, it is unbelievable. The goalie slipped and I’ve taken on the chest and managed to strike it as well as I could.

“I have scored a good few goals of the years, one in the Scottish Cup for Ayr United against Hibs at Easter Road for example, but that was the best one.

“Everyone in the stand wanted me to shoot probably taking the piss a wee bit, Jordan Allan told me I should have slipped him in when we were celebrating, but I wanted to be a bit greedy.”

The winger says he has been the 'last to leave training most days' as he battles for a place in the Bairns team

After being a mainstay in the Falkirk team early season, McGuffie has struggled for minutes on the park in recent times.

He’d only managed eight minutes across the 2023 league fixtures so far leading up the 5-0 win over the Blue Toon.

He added: “This year, I don’t even think I’ve had 15 minutes on the park in all honesty. I went through a spell where I didn’t even get on at all.

“I got on against Darvel and got a goal but since then I have struggled for minutes. Cal (Callumn Morrison) and Kai (Kai Kennedy) have been doing so well for us.

Team-mate Leon McCann said McGuffie's wonder-strike was 'the best goal he'd ever seen live'

“I took my opportunity today and it means everything to me, to be honest I am quite emotional. Football is my life.

“I’ve been out of the team and everyone I know would say it is easy to throw the towel in – but I haven’t.

“I have knuckled down and I have been last to leave training every day for the past few months.

“I don’t think it is luck what I did today. It was done to hard luck.”

Craig McGuffie admits he held back the tears after 'emotional' first senior career hat-trick