Nick Phinn Post Aberdeen

"You get a bit more time on the ball that lets you play. In the First Division there is maybe not as much football played, I think it suited us to play a bit ..

Nick Phinn scored his ninth goal of the season and it was a very important goal in terms of the earning potential of the Cup replay. Most Pars fans will need to watch the recorded highlights to work out just how the ball eventually met the net. Nick explained what he thought happened:-

"Jamie Mole had a great effort with his left foot and I am not sure whether it fell for either Andy Kirk or Rory Loy. They have managed to get it back across the goal and I have just had a tap in to knock it into the goal."

It was Andy Kirk who was first to react to Jamie Langfield's stop on Jamie Mole's left footed shot but it required Nick's intervention to score:-

"It was definitely going past the post. I had to get there but it wasn't going that fast so luckily enough I managed to catch it before it rolled out. That's my range I think - two yards out!

"At the start of the season I was scoring a good few but it was wee while before I got the next one but I am happy enough to get the goal today."

Nick had a great chance in the first half when a corner kick routine nearly paid dividends. As Stephen Glass delivered the ball in from the left four Dunfermline players ran from the top of the box in on goal taking the defenders with them and making space for Nick to volley on goal:-

"I maybe caught it too well and it flew over the bar. We tried it again; we had worked on it in training trying to get me free at the back and the one in the second half I headed down but it was a great save from Langfield. I was unlucky.

"There were great deliveries from Stephen Glass from the corners to get me on the chances.

"We came out of the traps flying in the first half and had Aberdeen on the back foot but they probably had the better play for the first fifteen to twenty minutes. We managed to keep it to 1-0 and we knew if we got a goal we were back in the cup draw. When we got the goal we pressed for the winner but it didn't come.

"The (increased number of) fans gives you an extra boost. A few of the older players are maybe more experienced and used to stadiums being full as well but the younger ones like myself, Calum Woods and Steven Bell it definitely gives you a boost to do well."

Nick has been with Dunfermline since the age of 12 so he was there during the Calderwood years but he was at school and did not arrive full time until after the two Jimmies left to join Aberdeen. He had been in training full time during his school holidays but he was not near to the first team squad and never got a chance to work under them.

"Aberdeen were favourites coming in to the game today being the SPL team but we feel that we can match them. With one of the Old Firm going out it gives an added incentive to get to the semi final."

Although the First Division side came out of their third match this season against SPL opposition with their pride still very much intact and possibly demonstrating that their style is better suited at that level than it is in the First Division.

"You get a bit more time on the ball that lets you play. In the First Division there is maybe not as much football played, I think it suited us to play a bit more football."