Chris Hamilton leads Pars back to his old club

CH - “It was a good test and I think the boys came through it well."

With Kyle Benedictus was rested, Dunfermline Athletic Vice Captain Chris Hamilton led the team to the last sixteen of the SPFL Trust Trophy. The 2-1 win meant a next round return to Gayfield for the 21 year old midfielder who made 35 appearances last season for Arbroath. Chris said:-

"It`ll be strange going back up there but I`m looking forward to it. I know more than probably most how good a group they have up there, though they are struggling a wee bit this season but I`m sure they`ll come good and it`ll be a tough game."

Chris said that he would leave the game plan to his manager and concentrate on doing his job on pitch but commented:-

"I think they`ve changed a lot since I`ve been there. Maybe ten players have left since I was there and they`ve brought another ten in. It`s slightly different but obviously I know Dick and I know Pink and I know the way that they`ll play and it`ll be a really tough game."

As a Dunfermline fan Chris was delighted to lead out the team on Tuesday night, “a special moment for me to lead the boys out” he admitted while stressing the most important thing was getting through to the next round.

With the initial tie postponed because of Celtic B players international call ups the visitors put in a performance that provided ample proof of just why they were at Celtic. Chris thought that the Lowland League opposition were very good and their participation added something of value to the SPFL. Trust Trophy competition:-

"I thought they were really good with a few excellent players. They are the best young talent in the country so we knew it was going to be a tough game because of the way they play - they play like the first team. You can see it`s drilled into them - every day, exactly what they want.

“Their movement is really good, it`s something you don`t come up against - any time really, unless you`re playing Celtic. It was something we had to get to grips with in the game. I thought we did that, I thought the experienced boys - like Joe and Breeny, even myself and Nikolay - did that quite well and helped the young boys through it as well.

"Even though it`s their B team, they`re still Celtic players. It was good to come up against something different and I think the boys handled it well. The movement is different, you don`t know where to go and you can get a bit lost but I think we had enough experienced boys to help the young boys. The young boys did well and I think we showed our quality as well.

Above: Chris Hamilton in Arbroath colours v Joe Chalmers in March 2022

“I think it`s good that they`re in the competition. I think it`s a good way to make them better, it`s good for Scottish football, but it`s a good test for us as well. It`s not something we come up against a lot. So it was a good test and I think the boys came through it well."

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