No celebration against friend and foe

Gavin Reilly:- "They have made a really good start this season. It is good to see them do well but I am here to do the business for Dunfermline."

The Pars on loan striker Gavin Reilly comes up against his home town team this Saturday and it will be the first time he has come up against Queen of the South as an opponent.

Gavin who joined Dunfermline in June on a season long loan from Hearts, came through from the youth system at Queen of the South, going out on loan to Gretna before returning to eventually make 133 appearances for Queens and playing for their Under-19s in the Youth Cup Final.

The 23 year old praised the Dumfries outfit as a good and well run club. Naturally he has been following their fortunes since leaving them to join Hearts in June 2015:-

"They have had a great start to the season. They have signed good players and kept the spine of the team that they have had for a few years. It always helps if you have that in the dressing room. They are unbeaten but we will be trying to get one over on them this weekend."

Reilly, scored 15 goals in season 2014-2015 as QOS finished fourth in the Scottish Championship before being one of seven first players to leave Palmerston at the end of that season. He continued:-

"For any club it is hard losing that amount of players. I still thought they did well in the league last year. They have made a really good start this season. It is good to see them do well but I am here to do the business for Dunfermline."

Allan Johnston has his sights on a play off spot but after Hibs and Dundee United, Queens are one of what Gavin describes as a cluster of teams all battling it out for the remaining two play off places.

"On the day anyone can beat anyone else in this league. It will be another exciting match and it just shows how much quality is in the league this year when so many teams can be up there fighting for a promotion place."

This Saturday will be just Gavin`s second home league match for Dunfermline. The first against Dumbarton was a much more comfortable result than the 4-3 scoreline but the next two games on the road have been frustrating even though Reilly`s name was on the scoresheet at Easter Road.

"Against Hibs we were under the cosh a bit in the first half but in the second we showed good qualities. We showed that we are a team that could be right up there, we have only had a handful of chances and we have taken them.

"It is still early days and I feel that the best is still to come for us. Last week at Raith it was possibly even more frustrating than the Hibs game. We never really created anything, they never really cut us open but we lost two goals in quick succession and the heads went down. We can`t let that affect us, once the first goal goes in we have got to get ourselves together and fight back.

"It is just one of those games that is past now, we need to put it behind us and get going again this Saturday."

Match day will see the Pars striker up against one of his boyhood heroes, Stephen Dobbie:-

"When I was young at Queen of the South I did the turnstiles before the home games on a Saturday and got to watch him in the games. Some of the stuff that he used to do was incredible. He is a real top quality player. I think that he is at that stage in his career where he wants to be settled, somewhere he knows the surroundings."

The 33 year old left Scotland in July 2009 to join Swansea and experienced Premiership football there before playing for Blackpool, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Fleetwood and Bolton. He returned to QOS for the start of this season, Gavin continued:-

"I am sure that he said that he wanted to go back to Queens so for them it is a brilliant signing and he has already done the business. He is one that we will have to watch on Saturday. It is not just him though there are a few good quality players there. I have played with Derek Lyle, he was fantastic to play with. These will be two we will need to watch."

Lyle is one of three former Pars at QOS but they also have good experienced pros - Andy Dowie and Chris Higgins. However, Gavin feels that it will not be all about Queen of the South and that along with the East End Park crowd Dunfermline can put pressure on them.

"We have a good blend of young exciting players and also boys who have been there and done that. At home I hope we can pip them to a win."

Gavin scored fifteen goals in his 39 appearances for QOS in his final season there. He is keen to make goalscoring a good habit this term hopefully find the net this Saturday and impress his Hearts bosses. Clearly they would be happy as he got off the mark two matches back. Gavin said:-

"It was good to get off the mark against Hibs, frustrating last week when there weren`t any real chances. I`d like to score against Queens but I don`t think I could celebrate but it would always be nice to get a goal and hopefully a win. I would have to be respectful and not jump about the place like I did at Hibs. I am always on the hunt for more goals and hopefully there will be a chance on Saturday."

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