Stirling seeks Cup success

"If you don't turn up and the other team does you are out. You only get one chance, so I would never underestimate anyone."

Andy Stirling has happy memories of days at East Stirlingshire Football Club and hopes to return on Sunday in a successful Dunfermline team.

The 24 year old made 57 appearances for The Shire while there for two seasons, 2011-12 and 2012-13. He admits he went there to get games and experience and considers it as having been a good career move. Although East Stirlingshire finished bottom of the league in both those two seasons it set up the move to Stranraer for the following season and then of course the progression to full time football with Dunfermline.

"It turned out quite a good move, I loved it but you wouldn't want to finish bottom now because you can get relegated now. I was glad I was there at the right time!

"I scored a few goals when I was there and obviously the best one was at Ibrox. That is still my favourite goal. Hopefully I will score a few here but I enjoyed it."

The league match at Ibrox was played in front of a crowd that was massive by East Stirling standards and Andy's goal just five minutes from half time silenced the masses who had to endure being behind at the break. He recalled:-

"They had just got all their trophies back and it was on television as well. It was a well publicised game so to score and go one up was quite funny. Funny to go from playing in front of two and three hundred people every week to turning up one Saturday and there are about 45000 people there.

"After I scored my goal you just forget people are there. Rangers had a strong side - Templeton, McCulloch, Black - but they beat us eventually."

Ochilview Park was home for Andy for more than 52 months since Andy joined East Stirlingshire from Stenhousemuir. With both sides sharing the same ground he had the strange experience of changing club but not the venue.

"There wasn't much of a change, just a change of strip. I was just turning up to the same place where I was the year before. It will be nice to go back. Obviously I go back hoping that we are going to beat them and progress and there may be one or two boys and management staff who are still there from when I was there."

After a period of injury and then another, Andy has not had the best of starts at Dunfermline. He was injured in the very first pre season friendly at Berwick which meant his starting debut was delayed until 4th October. Since then he has made another two starts and in total had made five appearances as a sub. He knows that when he gets his chance he has to take it.

"In the first three games I played well enough to maybe start the games after them but not enough to say that I had cemented my place. I know that but it is something that I have to do myself. It is up to me.

"It is the same league as I was in last year that I did that well in to come here. It is not as if it is too big a step that I have taken. Every week I turned up at Stranraer I knew I was going to be playing. I could focus solely on playing and I could get ready for that.

"Here you start thinking if you don't do well I might not start next week. I need to relax, just enjoy myself and take the chance. I have done well but not as well as I know I can do or as well as the management staff know that I can do.

"There is more competition at Dunfermline, there are better players. I got into the team of the year last year so it shouldn't really matter who is round about me. Everyone feels like that I suppose but if I play my best, I can play every week. Nobody else can do it, it is something that I have to show. It is down to me now."

Andy Stirling's Scottish Cup memories do not come any better than a tie between Stenhousemuir and Threave Rovers.

"I had been dropped for that game. We were 2-0 down at half time, it got to 2-1 with two minutes to go. I had been on for the last five minutes, I never ever score headers but the ball got whipped in - not a good ball - and I stuck my head on it and it went straight into the top corner from twenty yards. We won in the replay. That is my fondest cup tie."

Last season Andy was involved in two cup matches for Stranraer against Junior side Auchinleck Talbot. Having been held to a 2-2 draw at home, the Stair Park outfit had to come out on top of a five goal thriller at Beechwork Park.

"They should have beaten us twice but we went through. Then we played Inverness at Stranraer, they got a draw and we were unlucky up there as well. The Scottish Cup ties are one off games, anything can happen. If you don't turn up and the other team does you are out. You only get one chance, so I would never underestimate anyone."