Working for a meal ticket

Alex Whittle looked to have a recipe for success when Dunfermline fans got their first sight of their young new player against East Fife

Alex Whittle is hoping that he will have sufficient success at Dunfermline to enable him to eat out with regularity. Thrown together as flat mate with Yorkshireman Josh Falkingham, the youngster's lack of cooking skills means that he relies on Josh to cook his meals. Josh's nosh is very welcome but that leaves Alex consigned to dishwashing both currently, and for the foreseeable future.

The midfielder certainly looked as though he had a recipe for success when Dunfermline fans got their first sight of their young new player against East Fife on Thursday night. He impressed the home fans when he came on for the second half but he knew it should really have been a scoring debut:-

"I enjoyed the game but I was disappointed to get beat. I missed a sitter near the end too; the ball caught me on my shin when it came up fast off the pitch. I am more a provider than goalscorer but hopefully I will score a few during the season."

Alex's debut was described by Manager Jim Jefferies as "lively" and the 19 year old Liverpudlian was pleased that he had impressed both the gaffer and the fans in his first 45 minutes:-

"Hopefully I can kick on from here. I signed in April and have had to wait to get out on the pitch. My preference is to play right or left midfield, sometimes off the striker it depends on the formation really. It was disappointing not to be in the SPL but hopefully we can get promoted."

Having come up through the Liverpool Academy from the age of 8, Alex feels that he is only starting his career and is desperate to start games:-

"Liverpool kept bringing in players ahead of the young lads. It was money basically, once they bring a player in he has to play in front of any young lad. I was disappointed to leave but Liverpool is that big a club these things happen, I 'd like to prove to them that it was a bit of a mistake to let me go."

Alex is fully aware of the good effect a spell at Dunfermline has had for previous Liverpool youths like Calum Woods (now at Huddersfield) and Adam Hammill (now at Wolves). He was also recommended Dunfermline by fellow Nike Academy graduate Jordan Lowdon who spent a period at Celtic.

"It is a good club to try and establish yourself. I didn't know much about Scottish football but a friend who was at Celtic said that Dunfermline had a good set up and it was a good place to be. The gaffer is a good man to be with and the lads have been good for me."