Cups are a piece of cake

Stephen Husband:- "We practice volleys on a Friday and do it for cakes. The loser has to bring in the cakes for the following Friday

A challenge that can cost up to £20 in cup cakes keeps Stephen Husband's eye on the target. After a barren two months the midfielder has now struck twice in the last three games to bring his tally for the season to five. He revealed the sweet taste for success:-

"I have scored a few volleys in my time so the one on Tuesday was a good one to get. We practice volleys on a Friday and do it for cakes. The loser has to bring in the cakes for the following Friday."

The arrival of Ross Forbes means that there is now a queue of takers when it comes to taking setpieces that for a while have been the responsibility of Hubby. He observed "I don't think he will have too much to worry about having to buy cakes. He is a lovely striker of the ball. Page is even chipping in and doing well with volleys.

"It is obviously for other people to decide but me and Ross like long range shots, hopefully both of us can chip in with a few goals. As long as we get the three points it doesn't really matter who gets them.

"As a midfielder you have targets and I'd imagine a lot of midfielders, especially at this club, want to get goals. Andy Geggan, Josh Falkingham, Shaun Byrne, Ross Forbes, Ryan Thomson, myself we all want to score goals. It takes a bit of pressure off the strikers if we can chip in with goals."

After the New Year fixture win at Stenhousemuir Stephen started in only one of the next five matches. It has been a frustrating season for Hubby who also missed the first four matches of the season through suspensions and didn't start until the seventh match. The 23 year old claimed that he learned a lot from that:-

"It was hard to get back into the team; you feel that you get back in the team and don't do it then with the competition that we have here, you come straight back out. You have to be consistent and that's probably the biggest thing for me, being my second season here it is important that I keep my consistency going. I feel it is getting better and I just hope it continues at Stranraer on Saturday."

Stephen scored at Stranraer back in October, converting a 30 yard free kick to equalise just four minutes into the second half.

"It is a tough place to go and the weather didn't help the last time.  I'd imagine that things will be a bit worse this Saturday. We just need to dig deep, it won't be a pretty game at times but luckily in this team we have a bit of bite in us and we showed that we could do that down at Stranraer. "We were a goal behind at half time and couldn't play the football we wanted to play so we had to find a different way to go and get the three points. We managed to do that as a team."
Stranraer who sit third are fourteen points behind the Pars in second place and if placings were to end that way then the Pars will be travelling back to Stranraer on Wednesday 7th May for the first leg of the play off semi final.  Hubby commented:- "I find difficult at Stranraer and at Arbroath because of the wind. It is just a case of winning your individual battles; if we play well on the day and players match each other our quality will come through and should get the win. "If we are going to get them in the play offs it gives us another look at how to set up down there. "We want the three points. We will concentrate on our league position and not worry about play off games just yet.	////
"Even though we are sitting well in the league we will just keep playing for that second place and chase Rangers to the end.

Stephen Husband in last season's play offs v Forfar Athletic

"Play offs will be different games, you cannot really prepare for them. We will just have to take it when it comes."

Stephen's contract is up at the end of the season and he does not know what lies ahead for him at the end of the season. Others have been fixed up with new contracts but he is pragmatic about that happening to him:-

"If the gaffer speaks to me about that so be it, but nothing has been said as yet. I will just keep playing football and keep with Dunfermline until the contract is up, we shall see where it goes from there."

If he is still trying to avoid buying the Friday cakes next season all will be well and good.