Steven Bell Post Livingston

"We never played well enough in the first half and the Manager let us know at half time.

Steven Bell lamented the Pars defeat in his first start for the club. Not only did the reversal mean it was Livingston and not Dunfermline that went top of the table but the team would have had Monday off had the win been secured. Steven's analysis of Saturday's game observed that they looked too much like individuals at times:-

"We need to be a unit like we were in the St Johnstone game away. There all the boys were a tight unit, there were no individuals and we all worked together so we need to bring that into our home games.

"We don't want teams coming here saying this team won here and this team got a draw. We want teams coming here saying, we have not been beat here in 18 games. Home games must be won and take as many points away from home as we can.

Steven recalled from his experiences of visiting East End Park last season as a Stirling Albion player and felt that opponents like coming to Dunfermline, something that needs to be reversed:-

"It is a big pitch and you like playing here. It is a great surface, you can pass the ball about and this is probably the best stadium."

The midfielder required a cartilage operation and having missed pre season is working hard on catching up on his fitness:-

"I felt good today actually after feeling terrible after the game against Alloa. It is hard coming on as a sub because everybody has got the pace of the game."

Unfortunately on Saturday there were more than just Steven Bell struggling to match the pace of Livingston. He continued:-

"We never played well enough in the first half and the Manager let us know at half time. When we came out for the second half we blitzed them for the first 15 - 20 minutes. As soon as we got the goal it looked like there was only going to be one team going to win it; we could have on and won by three or four."

The chance of a starting debut had come about following the growing injury list - to the names of Greg Ross and Graeme Holmes had been added Stephen Glass, Kevin Harper and Greg Shields. Suspension of Nick Phinn meant that Steven's central midfield partner was the most unlikely - Sol Bamba. Steven held his hand up for not marking Murray Davidson when Livingston snatched their opener:-

"I can't really remember a lot about their goal but it was a bad goal to lose. The ball went back to the left back and I pushed out to try and get the ball. I have said to the Manager that I will take the blame for the runner but if I am pushing out, we are a unit, somebody has got to come over. We will look at the video on Monday; he will probably pull me if he thinks it is my fault. If have only tried to press the ball, there's no point in fingering anybody we just have to work as a unit."

Steven had a great opportunity to make amends when Scott Muirhead headed a cross from the right wing into his path just in front of goal:-

"I am gutted. It was a great ball in from Calum and a good header back but it was a wee bit in front of me. If I'd let it try and go on to my right it would have ran away from me. I was leaning back but I just swung a leg at it but the way it bounced it has just come up and hit my shin.

"For my first start since April and it would have been good to get a goal. I will be thinking about that all night now probably."

Dunfermline now sit in fifth place having been overtaken by Queen of the South who defeated Dundee 3-1 at Palmerston Park. Steven feels that the First Division campaign in 2008-2009 could be won by a whole number of clubs:-

"Look at St Johnstone they were title favourites but have not won in three games now, anybody could win this league. There are five or six real contenders but we must win our home games, that's five points we have lost in our last two games - that's just not good enough especially for a club this size."