Double Tops for Woods
Sunday, 19th Oct 2008"Greg (Shields) always talks, he is a good professional and a great player. It is good to have someone with that experience next to you. I really enjoyed playing centre back against Partick.
Calum Woods congratulates Nick Phinn for his part in the goal
Calum Woods was doubly pleased that Saturday saw both his teams go level at the top of their respective leagues. Two goals in the last ten minutes took Liverpool level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Premiership and an Andy Kirk goal in 36 minutes was enough to put Dunfermline in a similar place, level on points with both Queen of the South and Livingston in the Scottish First Division.
Calum thought Dunfermline's performance was really good and he was pleased that Partick Thistle were not allowed to play the game they would have liked.
"When we went to Partick earlier on in the season they ended up beating us but I thought this time we got the job done really well. There were a couple of times when the ball pinged about in front of our goal but we dealt well with it. At the end of the game we had the three points and that's what counts.
"I didn't see too much of the goal because it was right at the other end. It was brilliant play from Nick Phinn and the right hand side. Goal poacher Kirkie was there to tap it in."
The introduction of previous scorers against the Pars Liam Buchanan and Stephen McKeown did not phase Calum either:-
"They already had a couple of good strikers up there already and we had dealt with them so I didn't see why we wouldn't deal with the substitutes. We felt comfortable playing the game out. It was a really important win for us and great to get the three points."
The 21 year old Scouser who arrived at East End Park for a trial at the start of the 2006-07 season talked about his move from full back to centre half.
"I felt comfortable in my role at centre half, I have played there before for Liverpool in the reserves and youth team. It was the youth team coach at Liverpool, Dave Shannon who tried me out there. I had joined as a winger and played there until the age of 15. I moved to right back and left back until Dave Shannon came along."
Calum played in central defence for the Liverpool youth team that included Danny Guthrie, now at Newcastle United (at a cost of £2.5m), Lee Peltier who plays at Yeovil and of course, one time Par Adam Hammill.
When Calum arrived at Dunfermline he was deployed at full back but he is quick to point out that he would happily play anywhere across the back. With Sol Bamba away to Hibs, Scott Wilson and Scott Thomson injured Calum had a new partner in Greg Shields in the centre of the defence:-
"Greg always talks, he is a good professional and a great player. It is good to have someone with that experience next to you. I really enjoyed playing centre back against Partick."
Looking at the facts from the Liverpool match Calum's first observation was Spaniard Alberto Riera's first goal for the club rather than comment on Dirk Kuyt's brace against Wigan. Calum has yet to break his duck with Dunfermline but he nearly buried that one on Saturday:-
"I thought it was in. It was a corner kick that came across from the right but went back out to Kirkie who put a great ball in from the left. I just glanced it on but it came back off the crossbar. I was about to celebrate it but I don't know what the celebration is going to be!"
MATCH PICTURES
MACCA'S POST MATCH COMMENTS MATCH REPORT: DUNFERMLINE 1 PARTICK THISTLE 0Views : 2,963