Toddy double seizes the chance

MT:- “We just thought ‘we have a chance here and we can go and win the game’. We are just delighted with the outcome.”

Dunfermline’s second and third goals on Saturday were scored by Matty Todd and his second scored nine minutes from full time was the equaliser from being 3-0 down with half an hour left. The 21 year old claimed that he never wants that to happen again!

Nikolay Todorov polished off the great escape with an 86th minute header that made it 4-3 and Matty felt that a comeback like that can be a real boost as the Fifers hope to finish the season strongly:-

“The group have been brilliant all season, top notch. It just adds that extra belief to us knowing that we can go and do that sort of thing. The first half was not us at all, it wasn’t good enough but the three points are the main thing.”

Airdrieonians will be the opposition again next Saturday at The KDM Group East End Park and Matty acknowledged that lessons have to be heeded from the Excelsior experience:-

“I have never been involved in a game like that. We have got to learn quick since we play them again next week. We never started the game in the right manner and maybe took it a bit for granted given where we are in the league. We need to start from minute one and not in the 55th minute when they got the man sent off.

“We weren’t great, to put it quite frankly we were miles off it in the first half and we deserved to go in 2-0 down. It could have been much more. We came out in the second half and showed that we have a bit of character and the main thing was picking up the three points and we are just delighted with it.”

Not many who watched the first 45 minutes would have given Dunfermline any hope of drawing the match far less winning it but Matty said that even at three goals down the prospect of a such an unlikely comeback unravelled when Kyle Benedictus got the first goal back from the penalty spot:-

“As soon as Kyle stepped up for the penalty and slots that home it gives you hope. The whole place got a lift and the fans were superb all day, especially when they got right behind us when that goal went in. It gave us the lift that we needed and after that we always had belief.

“Not sending off the Airdrie goalkeeper and when Callum (Smith) got sent off it probably gave us a bit of a lift. Kyle slots penalties home week in week out and as soon as he did that it gave us another lift. After that we just thought ‘we have a chance here and we can go and win the game’. We are just delighted with the outcome.”

That outcome came courtesy of two Matty Todd goals that brought his total for the season to nine and he described how they came about:-

“The first one I said to Robbie (Mahon) just to roll it back. My first instinct was just to hit it and see if it goes on target. It has just gone in and the second one came from shooting from range. I took a touch on my left foot and it took a wee deflection. That has just spurred us on to go and get that fourth goal.”

The celebrations of the players, management and staff suggested that this win was possibly extremely significant and post match Matty agreed:-

“Today was big, it was a good result and it was exactly what we needed. We needed the three points and we are just thankful for the backing from the Dunfermline support week in week out. We hope they continue to back us from now until the end of the season.”

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