Coyle savours EEP atmosphere

"There are so many nice people here, that's something you always associate with Dunfermline Football Club. It is always nice to come back and catch up with them as we did today.

Owen Coyle returned to East End Park on Sunday to play in the charity match where Dick Campbell's XI took on Jim Leishman's XI.  After the game the Burnley manager said how important it was to back at a club he enjoyed being at as a player and how much he enjoyed playing in the match:-

"Everybody loved being involved, obviously I was delighted to be asked because it was for two fantastic causes.  When you are in football I would always hope that players would do everything you can for your former manager, and people you hold in high regard."

Owen knew that he had been in a game hobbling away after a tough challenge from Grant Tierney.

"That's the way big Grant plays, there were no holds barred.What happens as much as you get older is that you still have your own personal pride. Everyone is very competitive as we know and I can vouch for that just now limping out of the stadium, but I wouldn't have swapped today for not being here at all. I have certainly loved every minute of it and delighted to have played a small part in it.

Dick Campbell's side off to a great start thanks to Owen hitting the net after only 35 seconds.

"It is always nice to score, Moory put a great ball in and it is always nice to hit the back of the net.  I had chances after that as you always do but the game was played in good spirit.  All the goalkeepers on show had some big saves and it was probably the right result that we shaded it.  There was a lot of good play on both sides, maybe not at the same speed as there used to be but there were a lot of good touches - you never lose it."

What would Owen take back to Burnley after this match?

"A sore leg! What I do take back is something that we do have at Burnley is that tremendous sense of spirit.  You could see that in both teams today - that sense of camaraderie.  You can have the best players in the world but if they don't gel as a team, don't have that spirit or that desire to do well for one another then it is all for nothing.

"That is why as many players have turned up here today; they recognise at the teams they played at they had that team spirit and it served Dunfermline well.

"We have taken a lot of things from Scottish football although I couldn't point to any one thing.  We are still work in progress in the same way we were at St Johnstone."

Owen singled out the club atmosphere at Dunfermline as a significant memory:-

"There are so many nice people here, that's something you always associate with Dunfermline Football Club. It is always nice to come back and catch up with them as we did today.  Bert Paton was here; I worked with him at Dumbarton and I have such a high regard for him. He is an absolute gem of a man.

"Joe Nelson is Dunfermline through and through and together with Mo Hutton these guys are the salt of the earth.  People who are really club men along with Dick Campbell, Bert Paton and Jim Leishman - these guys are the life blood of football as far as I am concerned."