Kirk ends tough session

"I think justice was done at the end of the day when we got the replay and we are over the moon that we are in the next round."

After the drama of the SFA decision to expel Dunfermline from the Cup and then the subsquent successful appeal, it was not surprising that the players had a draining rollercoaster ride towards the Fourth Round replay at Stenhousemuir on Tuesday night.  Andy Kirk gave the match winner's view:-

"After we got the chance to get the replay, we're delighted to be in the next round.  A lot of credit has to go to Stenhousemuir though, I thought they were excellent and made it very, very difficult for us.I feel a wee bit for them but at the end of the day I am glad that we are in the next round."

After the 7 - 1 win in the first tie against Stenhousemuir at East End Park, the Pars Manager had warned of complacency and the way Stenny would fight for the right to play Celtic in the next round.  Andy felt that Dunfermline didn't play well as a team but agreed that their opponents worked extremely hard to stop them playing.

"It was always going to be a different game, 7 - 1 there was a lot of pride at stake for their players in this next game.A lot of credit goes to them, I thought they played very well on the night."

With Stenhousemuir holding on in extra time, across the country it was more than just Pars (or even Celtic) fans who were becoming interested in the final score.  Was the romance of the Cup going to cause a major cup upset in darkest Forth Valley?  Until Andy Kirk's winner with nine minutes left:-

"It looked like penalties were looming, but we got the goal and football is wee bit harsh sometimes, but we will take it. We didn't play well but we are in the next round and I think that is the most important thing for us."

Andy agreed that progressing to the next round was fair in the end since the players had done the business on 7th January when they won the first match.

"That was the biggest thing for us.It was just an administration error.  We thought at the end of the day the way the rules were and what had happened to other teams that we would have got a replay and fine and to find out that we were thrown out, we were all devastated to say the least.  I think justice was done at the end of the day when we got the replay and we are over the moon that we are in the next round."

Andy Kirk has played on the international stage and in big cup matches before but for some of his fellow players the Celtic match at East End Park on Sunday 7th February will be the biggest of their careers.  He continued:-

"These are the games that you want to play in, Celtic are a massive, massive team and it's going to be great for us to play.We are at home, and who's to say, football is a funny game and anything can happen. You have to go into the game believing that you can get a result, our supporters they come and they all believe that you can get a result.  I think as players, as professional footballers we have to go there and hope that we put in a performance capable of winning the game."

Jim McIntyre highlighted the important role played by the large travelling support and the 30 year old Irishman didn't miss thanking them either:-

"The fans were great tonight, there was a great turnout and it's nice to send them home happy again."

Of course it wasn't all sweetness from the Pars fans who had made it known how unhappy they were at the end of the 90 minutes when they gave the team a bit of stick.  Andy commiserated:-

"They are always entitled to their opinion.I think probably from watching us in recent weeks to watching the performance tonight I think they might be a bit disheartened by what they saw.  I think they can never question the effort that the players put in but it was just an off performance tonight.  Up till tonight we have been playing extremely well with some lovely attractive football and scoring a lot of goals.  Tonight was all about getting into the next round and we did that".