THE frenetic pace and intensity of Scottish football is often referenced by players who find themselves playing in it for the first time.

However, for Pars new boy Bobby Kamwa, getting up to speed with the frantic nature of the game north of the border shouldn't be too much of a problem having experienced "murderball" under Marcelo Bielsa.

The 21-year-old arrived at Dunfermline ahead of the transfer deadline as John Hughes' fourth signing, having put pen to paper on a loan deal until the end of the season from Leeds United, and made his debut as a substitute for Graham Dorrans in the 2-0 win at Queen of the South.

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The Elland Road youth academy graduate, who moved to England at the age of nine from Douala, in his native Cameroon, is someone who Hughes believes is "something different" to the players already at his disposal, and who can go on to become a fans' favourite.

Kamwa joined the Whites when he was 13 and, in the summer of 2020, agreed a new two-year contract with the Yorkshire club.

Although he has featured predominantly for their age group teams – including their under-23s in Premier League Two – Kamwa has experienced training with Leeds' first team.

As well as having the opportunity to learn from stars such as England cap Patrick Bamford and Spain international Rodrigo, Kamwa has benefited first-hand from working with revered manager Bielsa, who Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola once described as "probably the person I admire most in world football".

"I started at Leeds when I was 13 so I've been there for about nine years," Kamwa explained.

"I came up through the youths and, for the past two seasons, I've been training with the first team regularly under Marcelo Bielsa.

"First of all, it's tough. It's not easy and, when he first came, we all had to adapt; just the intensity of the sessions, he gets you really fit for games.

"The hard bit about it is muderball. It's 11v11 and you've got coaches on the pitch holding balls so if a ball goes out, they'll throw one in.

"There are no fouls allowed. It's really tough but you get a lot out of it."

When asked if he'd gleaned plenty from training with players of the calibre of Bamford, Kamwa replied: "Yes, I've learned a lot from them because I've been training with them regularly.

"I've seen what they're doing and I've been trying to learn from that. Hopefully, I can take that to here.

"I'm looking forward to it.

"I was waiting for my chance to come at Leeds but it's hard when you've got a side that's doing well and doesn't get many injuries.

"I was just waiting and waiting and, this season, I thought it's time for me to play, and I decided it was the best time for me to come on loan and play some football."

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Kamwa's move to Dunfermline was helped by a man with past connections to East End – his agent, David Moss.

Signed from rivals Falkirk in 1999, for £120,000, he scored in a 2-1 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle that secured promotion to the SPL that season.

After more than 50 appearances, Moss returned to the Bairns in 2002 and, since retiring, has worked for various football clubs – including Celtic – before becoming an agent.

Moss contacted Kamwa about the possibility of playing in a bounce game for the Pars against Falkirk last midweek, and the striker continued: "I was at home and got a call from my agent saying Dunfermline would like me to come for a game.

"I looked at the club and the history, and I thought it wouldn’t be a bad place for me to go to. So I said to him, 'Alright, I’ll go there'.

"He told me he was a club captain here and he said it's a sleeping giant and it's a big club.

"He spoke well about the club and he really wanted something to happen here so it's good that it all happened.

"Hopefully, I can kick on from here. I’m trying the club and the club’s trying to help me so it works well for both of us."

Although he says he's still getting used to the Scottish accent – Kamwa's "got to take a second to really understand!" – he believes it's a move he can take in his stride, having had to grow up quickly when he first moved to England.

"What was the most difficult bit about it was the language because, obviously, we're a French-speaking country," he continued.

"When I came, I knew no words of English at all, so going to school and stuff like that was really difficult.

"It didn't take me too long to learn; after a year, I could speak full English. Even the food, I wasn't used to the English food, but as the years went on, I adapted. Now I'm flowing, everything's going alright, and it's basically my second home.

"Even having to make friends was hard, because of the language barriers and stuff like that, but as it clicks, as soon as I could speak a bit of English, I thought, 'It's not really that bad'.

"I took that on to football, with having different managers and stuff like that. It was easier for me to adapt.

"I'm maturing now as well so it's not as hard as it was before. Now I know how to carry myself, so it's not too much of a hassle, but the only thing I need to get right is that Scottish accent!"

Kamwa, who had a spell on trial with EFL (English Football League) League One Rotherham United last summer, is out of contract at Leeds in the summer.

He recognises that his move to Dunfermline is a chance to impress potential suitors but has not resigned himself to leaving Elland Road.

"It’s football. You never know and things could change," he noted.

"At the moment, we’re just focused on the loan.

"It’s a shop window for me. I’m trying to do the best I can, but at the same time, I want to help this club as well, because it’s given me a platform, so it's only right for me to give them my best.

"I’m just hoping that in the second half of the season we can do something good and keep the club up.

"It’s a good club and I don’t think it deserves to be in the position it’s in right now."