Stephen Glass Post Dundee United

"When the St Mirren one comes round then we start worrying about what St Mirren are going to do and what they are not going to do.

Stephen Glass couldn't explain how he missed a great chance to score in the second half against Dundee United:-

"Chances are going to get missed, unfortunately for me it was me who did it. If it saves the rest of the lads getting stick then I am not too fussed. I just do my bit and keep working hard.

"Every miss is a bad miss and I should have made it 2-0 and it is going to be a little easier but obviously Dundee United were going to press towards the end and it made it difficult. I probably made it harder for the lads than it should have been. The whole group did well over the course of the day and deserved to win 1-0 in the end."

He was certainly relieved that Tam McManus had scored a great goal in 33rd minute to put the Pars into a lead that they were not going to relinquish:-

"It was a great strike from start to finish. I think O'Brien's free kick hit a great pass to Greg Shields and he put in a great cross. Tam was there to smash it in the net like he does. He has done really well again today.

"All we need to worry about is that we have done all that we can do. We have not got much concern about their game on Monday night; we have got the game Tuesday to look forward to and concern themselves with. When the St Mirren one comes round then we start worrying about what St Mirren are going to do and what they are not going to do.

"That is the only game that we can affect what they do. That is all that concerns us and we must take care of the cup business first. Obviously that is a big thing for the lads and then we will look to the St Mirren game but not until after the Tuesday night game.

"I have come here to do well for Dunfermline, hopefully I am doing that but I was disappointed when I arrived to find out in the first week that I was cup tied. I knew what the situation was going to be and I'd rather be disappointed and the lads are doing well than the lads have a free week because it would mean that they are out of the cup."

To reduce the gap between Dunfermline in twelfth and St Mirren in eleventh from nine points to just one point is an incredible achievement. Stephen accepts that much of that has to do with not listening to those who have been saying that Dunfermline are certainly relegated:-

"The belief is there. We have got to believe and hope that we can do it or there would be no point in going out there. Having a belief doesn't mean that you are going to do it. We have to put in the work on the training pitch and on match days. That is what we will continue to do. If it is good enough, then it will be good enough but it will not be for lack of trying if we don't manage."

Has this streak of form come at the right time?

"Now is always the right time whether at the start of the season or you are looking to the future, it has to happen now, whenever it is. I wasn't here at the start of the season so it is hard to comment on what went on but I am sure if we had some better results at the start of the season then we wouldn't be in the problems that we are in. We will deal with those problems and you can see the effort the lads are putting in to get out of it."

Stephen was at Aberdeen in season 1994-95 when they struggled to avoid relegation. He was only 18 and the Dons problems gave him an opportunity the following season to really make his mark in the first team. He recalled the situation at Pittodrie in a season that had seen Willie Miller sacked and Roy Aitken left in charge:-

"Aberdeen were down there and struggling; I was just a young lad coming in. The lads had beat Celtic at home, Hearts away. United at home was a relegation one where lose and you were relegated. United did get relegated, then we played Falkirk away as well and I came into the team towards the end. It was a similar thing where the team that was toiling away did manage to pull themselves out of it. That doesn't mean that it always going to be the case but it shows that it can be done. The lads here know how good we are and how good we can be so it is important that we work hard and be as good as we can be."

Stephen Glass had made his debut for Aberdeen in October 1994 but was still a squad player when brought in because of suspensions. His goal and that of Scott Thomson against Falkirk helped Aberdeen win the final match of the league campaign and avert relegation to go into a play off with Dunfermline, as runners up in the First Division, for the right to play in the top flight the following season. Aberdeen won both play offs home and away by 3-1. Limited though it was, can Stephen pull from that kind of experience:-

"Not really. The only thing that is going to affect us is what happens in the future. Maybe it does make you think you are not dead and buried but as long as you are enough points at stake you are never going to think that anyway. You can draw on it but you can't take too much from that. We had to win to have any hope of safety but the team above us won in the last match so we ended up playing Dunfermline home and away.

"The momentum is there at the minute but it needs to stay there. It would be easy for it to peter away. St Mirren could get wins and pull away from us so it is important that we do keep the pressure on and do the best we can do."