Willie Gibson Post Cup Tie

"I had another year left on my contract but I didn't think it was working out, I wasn't happy so I spoke with my agent. I thought 'fresh start bring it on.'

Willie Gibson picked up his second Man of the Match award in as many games on Wednesday night.This recognition and that from the Pars fans is confirming to him that it was a great move for him to leave Kilmarnock and the SPL behind in favour of joining Dunfermline at the beginning of this season:-

"I was lacking in confidence last year but coming here has given me so much more confidence.  To come here and have the Manager show faith in you means that you are looking to repay him by doing the job on the park.I feel that my performances have done that.

"I had another year left on my contract but I didn't think it was working out, I wasn't happy so I spoke with my agent and he made we aware that there were a few clubs interested.  I thought 'fresh start bring it on.'"

Willie claims to have worked hard every day in training at Rugby Park but just didn't get the chance of regular first team football.

"I just thought it was time to move on even if it was taking a step down to the First Division.Even though I went down a division it doesn't feel like it team wise because there are great players here and I think that we can do a lot of things.

"The only downside was losing at home in our first game to Inverness.That wasn't the right result, we did enough in the game to win it.It was a bit of a sickener to lose.Even if we had kept a clean sheet for 0-0 it would have been a better result.To get beat by losing another late goal to Queen of the South was disappointing but to be top of the table and into the next round of the Co-operative Insurance Cup is a good start.

Willie supplies the width in the team that injuries denied Jim McIntyre last season:-

"By all accounts it was something the team was lacking.The Manager has obviously brought wide players in and with good players like Burke and Bell in the middle, if you give them a couple of seconds on the ball and they will bring it down and find you wide.

"We are really hurting teams by getting the ball down early, getting it wide and then getting into their full backs and giving them a bit of a torrid time.Get the ball into the box and Bayne and Kirk will do the rest."

In commenting on Gibson's display against Raith, Jim McIntyre used the term "world class" to describe a cross that Andy Kirk almost converted but the 24 year old said that was going a bit too far:-

"I take any praise that's coming, I was always subject to a lot of negative criticism (at Kilmarnock) so to hear something positive and for him to do that was nice.

"It is good to be supplying the right ball for the strikers.Give Andy Kirk any kind of chance and he will score - you could see that with the first goal.We just need to do more of it.

"I am a bit disappointed with the goal that we conceded because it came from me on the edge of the box.I should have either kept it longer or made sure that I never lost it.I lost it in a stupid area and the Manager was on about keeping it in the right areas so it is something to work on."

"It was a derby and the fans were up for it as well and I was pleased to get a win at home that takes us through to the next round.

Willie described the result as a massive confidence booster for Saturday's league game:-

"We will go into the game off a good result and a good performance.We broke them down and probably could have scored a few more as well.They will know what we are about but we will also know what they are about. Hopefully we can get a good result on Saturday now."