Glass welcomes Final Challenge

"It is a chance to turn a corner and start doing a bit better. The lads can believe that they can do well.

Sunday's Challenge Cup Final is Stephen Glass' first Cup Final since playing for Newcastle United against Manchester United in the 1999 FA Cup Final in front of 79000 people at Wembley. That day he was a second half sub for Temuri Ketsbaia but his side was over run by the likes of Beckham, Sheringham, Scholes, Giggs and Cole. There might be a few less stars and a little less in the stands at Dens Park on Sunday for the Challenge Cup Final but the former Magpie is looking forward to the game. Keen to get back into match action after the international break, the match brings with it another crack at silverware.

Sunday is his first Scottish final since November 1995 when he was a member of the Aberdeen side that defeated Dundee in the League Cup Final through goals from Billy Dodds and Duncan Shearer. Stephen is optimistic that it can be two Scottish final wins out of two when he faces St Johnstone and is buoyed by the improvement shown in the last game:-

"We probably played a bit better and competed a bit better at St Johnstone in the last game. Both teams had a shout and both maybe felt aggrieved that they never won. It was quite an open game anyway and it will be the same sort of game at the weekend but hopefully there will be goals in it as well.

"You hope that there's going to be a good turn out from Dunfermline there. There are numbers who want to see the team do well; we took a lot through to the game at Hampden in May so there is a following who believe the team have a chance to win things. Whether this has captured the imagination or not I do not know - it doesn't look like that in the sales.

"Everybody wants Dunfermline to do well and this is their chance to come along and support their team. There is a real hard core that go to the games and the lads appreciate that. The team needs a bit of backing at this point. We want the best for Dunfermline and it is a chance for Dunfermline to win a cup, I don't think that has happened too many times recently."

Dunfermline have been in three Cup Finals in the past three seasons and Stephen missed out on the 2006 Scottish Cup Final by being cup tied with Hibs. He feels that they will only get what they deserve for their efforts on the day.:-

"St Johnstone are due a win and they will believe that they are going to win the cup on the day and we will believe that we will do the right things and win the cup on the day. If we don't work hard, don't play well we will definitely not win the cup. We know what we have to do.

"We got knocked out of Europe, I don't think we were going to win that but this is the first competition this season that we have a chance to win so we have to try and win it.

"A lot of teams have experimented with their teams in this competition and weren't too fussed but from the start we have played against pretty strong teams and have given young lads and players who have not been playing a chance. We have had an aim on winning the trophy right from the start of the competition. I think the Manager has set his stall out to win it. You don't go out to get beat at any time. It is extra gates, extra money - it is important for teams to do well in the cup.

"It is a chance to turn a corner and start doing a bit better. The lads can believe that they can do well. We are playing against another good team - St Johnstone is full of good players so it is going to be difficult but it is an opportunity for us to start doing well, kick on and hopefully do as well as we can in the season."

Stephen Glass has not trained for the last week since injuring his thigh at McDiarmid Park in the last fixture but knows that the Manager had his team mates in doing double sessions. This week will be a fairly normal training week and the preparation will be no different to the norm. At 31 years of age Stephen feels that we has a chunk of his career still ahead of him, more finals may come around but this one is there to win. He reflected that losing a final is not the best of experiences:-

"It is not a feeling that I want to replicate. Regardless of what cup final you are playing in, you want to win it. You don't want to be standing on the pitch with the other team lifting the cup no matter what it is.

Fans are reminded that the last orders to have tickets forwarded by Courier will be Wednesday morning, no telephone orders will be taken after noon on Wednesday 21st November. The deadline for online courier orders will be 9.00 am

After that time the only option will be collect at East End Park.

There are still 20 ticket for the South Enclosure which have not been exchanged. Anyone still holding South Enclosure tickets please contact the Ticket Office on 01383 745909.

In addition to the normal hours of 9.00 to 5.00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the ticket office will be open on Saturday 24th November from 10.00 till 12.00 noon for: Collections, Sales and Exchanges

THE TICKET OFFICE WILL NOT BE OPEN ON SUNDAY