Betfred draw reunites Nat with previous mates

Nat Wedderburn returns to his first Scottish club and then prepares to face his last club

The Betfred Cup draw was an intriguing one for the Pars close season signing Nat Wedderburn. The clubs that Dunfermline were drawn against for their second and third fixtures in their section were his two previous clubs. Speaking after the match at Central Park, the player with 75 appearances to his name for the blue Brazil said:-

"It felt a bit weird after being here for two years but you just have to concentrate on the game."

Comments from visiting teams about their matches at Central Park always include `it is a difficult place to come` and having played a lot of games there Nat fully understands their predicament:-

"Cowdenbeath are used to the pitch and teams find it difficult coming here because it is a small narrow pitch. It is not the best and you have to win the battle first then after that you can start to play a bit.

"They know how to use the pitch well and know that it is going to be difficult for the opposition, but being the opposition I can understand that and how they probably don`t want to come and play here."

Dunfermline discovered quickly that Cowdenbeath were out to avoid a heavy defeat like they had suffered at Tannadice just four days previously and keeper David McGurn had to take much credit for that. Nat continued:-

"There wasn`t a lot of football played in the first half but the save from Moff`s header was a great save. I thought it was in and then Joe had a few chances and the keeper again made good saves. In the second half we got it down and scored three good goals from setpieces."

The Pars have now won their first two Betfred Cup matches by three goals to nil but these were matches against League Two opponents that they were expected to win. The next two matches at home to Inverness on Tuesday and away to Dundee United the following Sunday will be much better indicators of how ready Allan Johnston`s team is for their Championship season ahead.

"We heard Dundee United won on penalties so I think if we win on Tuesday we would put ourselves in a very good position to go through. We just need to concentrate on Tuesday and see what happens."

Nat was an Inverness player last season but like every footballer he wants to be playing and when that is not happening it is not a happy time. He made his debut in the club`s European tie against Astra Guirgui but started just another ten times for John Hughes side. The 25 year old described his time in the Highlands:-

"I did enjoy it at times but they were frustrating times and a learning curve. They are still a good team, a lot of the players I was there with last year are still there so it will be a difficult game on Tuesday.

"They have changed their manager now. Richie (Foran) has come in, he was a player, all the boys respect him and I think they will work hard for him. It will be a tough game and they might be a bit more direct than they were last year.

"It is a step up in quality for us but as you could see against Hearts were are more than capable of stepping up. I am sure that we can cause Inverness problems. The boys will be up for it. I look forward to the game and hopefully we can get a win."

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