Stevie Crawford Post Partick

Craw pleased to be handed back striking role that ended his goal drought.

At least Stevie Crawford has avoided the criticism that he had not hit the target for more than a year by hitting the net against Partick Thistle on Saturday. He talked after scoring his first goal exactly one year on since scoring from the penalty spot at Rugby Park on 17^th February last year:-

"First and foremost people see me as a goalscorer and striker. Personally it has been frustrating this season, earlier in the season being asked to play in positions that I have done over my career for maybe a game or two at a time.

"I am not going to harp on about excuses because I hit the back of the net today and it is more about the club at the moment. I am as keen as ever to try and do well at Dunfermline. We have taken a bit of flak this season, things have picked up recently and hopefully we can go on and build and look towards next year now to make sure that we are going to be challenging to get back into the Premierleague.

"I had a long chat with the Manager and I have had to wait a wee while. Jim Hamilton has moved on to St Mirren and the chance has come for me to get in there again. Jim McIntyre knew that I wanted to play upfront. If it is a matter of playing how many reserve games until I got my chance it doesn't bother me, even at 34, if I have got to play in the reserves.

"I was lucky enough to make my breakthrough at Raith Rovers playing with some senior pros in the reserves. They were great, so if you are playing with young kids in the reserves you are always wanting to set an example anyway. If you get competitive in the reserves it eventually shows in the first team as well because boys are desperate to get in.

"When you get your chance in the first team you are keen to stay in the first team. Earlier in the season it was out of my hands to decide where I would prefer to be playing but hopefully performances like that will make it harder to see me played wide right or wide left."

Like others on the park and sidelines on Saturday, Stevie was surprised with the colour of card shown to Kevin Harper in the sixth minute of the second half.

"I was a bit away from the incident itself. Something had happened over on the right and the Manager was actually shouting at me at the time. Don't know if it was somebody not making a run or myself he wanted to hold it up but I saw the challenge and my initial reaction was that it was a free kick and Kevin Harper had been a bit rash but in no way was it a sending off.

"I heard the reaction of the crowd and I think it was a big factor in us ending up drawing the game.

"Kevin I think is honest enough that he would put his hand up if he felt that he went in with a two footed challenge. He is adamant that it wasn't a straight red.The manner he went in might have been a yellow card, you can understand that but I do not think that it was a malicious tackle."

Stevie was guarded with what he replied to the question about how he viewed the three possible penalties, none of which were given to Dunfermline:-

"Sometimes you go away from home and you might get a decision or two when the referee tends to maybe favour the home side but today we've had three or four. Burchy one in the first half; it maybe doesn't look a lot but he was going to header the ball at goal and there were certainly a few incidents.

"In the second half, Burchy ended up getting a shot on one of them but the keeper has made a great save. Whether you could say that was a fair advantage? One myself when I have seen Burkie running at the back post, I put it across and it came off the boy's hand.We could sit here all day but the referee has not given them.To have three or four claims at home and not get one is disappointing to say the least.

"We can take positives out of today's performance. In contrast to some of the performances at the start of the season I think it is night and day. Supporters, players, management - anybody coming to watch that today will go away with a positive feeling. Alright it is two points lost but there is a better feeling about the place.

"I have been at a few clubs over my career, you can just feel that the Manager is new to it, he has experience and been at a lot of clubs himself. He seems to be putting his mark on it even though we are down to the barebones in the squad at the moment - he has added a couple already and I am sure he will be shrewd."