Bell is not for time up

Steven returns with realistic approach after three years out:- "I don't want to go and sign a deal and then right away I am injured ..

For most of last season former Pars player Steven Bell considered his football career to be over.Saturday was his second successive start and it came almost three years to the day after his last ninety minutes of league football and his performance looks likely to earn him a contract with the Stair Park club.

Bell was injured while playing for Dunfermline against Morton at Cappielow in November 2010 and was never to play again for the club. He left in May 2012 having spent most of the time having surgery and trying to recover from it.

His comeback came as a result of taking part in a charity game just six weeks ago and it was entirely appropriate that Steven's remarkable comeback was witnessed by Dunfermline fans and players like Ryan Thomson and Shaun Byrne who were youths when he was battling his way back from surgery.

Steven did talk about the game expressing his view that Stranraer were below par for the Fifers visit:-

"It was a hard game especially in the second half when Dunfermline upped their game. Personally I thought we did well today. The gaffer was not happy because he has set a standard that has been magnificent. Dunfermline pinned us back and sometimes we just chose the wrong pass. Obviously they punished us for it."

The fact that Dunfermline was his opponents was meaningful even though Steven had thought the game was last week.

"It has been hard going to try and get back, it has been a long three years. It has been emotional and physically demanding for me and my family but it has all been worth it hopefully.

"I was touched by the fans because at one point they started singing my name. I don't think they sang my name the full time I was at Dunfermline! On Twitter and Facebook some of the responses that I have had from them has been fantastic."

To pull on a shirt and don the boots again is the only thing that has been missing from his life claimed the 28 year old:-

"I have beautiful young boys, Nicholas and Christian who mean everything to me. For them to see their dad back playing means a lot. I got injured three weeks after Nicholas was born so he has never seen me play."

Stranraer has several Stirling Albion connections. Steven played with Chris Aitken and David McKenna there but it is his friendship with Stevie Aitken, Chris brother and Stranraer's manager that led to Steven's comeback.

"He phoned me up at the start of the season because he found out that I had being playing amateur football with my pals. That's hard going, they are good players but they don't make the same angles and sometimes you feel you need to go past two or three players to pass the ball. I felt fine and after playing in a charity match six weeks ago he said to me 'you are looking sharp'.

"I was scared and I do not want to let people down. I don't want to go and sign a deal and then right away I am injured. So we have come to an agreement that if I break down I will just rip my contract up.

"I played a full ninety minutes against Dunfermline before I felt my hamstring tighten up. I played 65 last week, ten the week before but on the Tuesday night I played 65 against a junior team on astro and touch wood my ankle has been fine."

Saturday was the last time that Steven can turn out as a trialist but he says that he will sit down with the manager and discuss terms. Stranraer train in Paisley which is convenient for Steven and transport is provided for those travelling down for home games.

Stevie Aitken might be willing to come and go with Steven possibly missing training just so that he is fresh for games. More so because Steven believes he is the kind of player that Stranraer are looking for.

"We have still not agreed anything. Understandably the club is only looking after its own interests and thinking 'should we sign somebody who has been out for three years?' I totally agree with that but if I am saying that if I ever get injured I will rip the contract up and there is no need to pay me. Hopefully that gets sorted and I can sign."

Steven is now defying medical prognosis that suggested he would never play again. At the sixth operation scar tissue that had calcified into a lump was removed from his ankle and he was warned that would just keep coming back.

"I have been using insoles and going to visit my old physio Gerry Docherty. He has kept my spirits up. When you are told that you cannot play again but comeback to a full ninety within three weeks makes me feel over the moon.

"I am disappointed with the result but if there was anybody going to beat us I wish it was Dunfermline because I enjoyed my time there."

Josh Falkingham did not recognise this opponent and he certainly did not hold back with challenges on Steven with one in the second half requiring the physio to come on the park.

"It is certain movements but Josh did me a belter by the way. He claimed he didn't, but he did. It was right over the ball and then Shaun Byrne tried to do me as well. I remember Shaun coming through as a young boy; he has tried to do me and he has ended up doing himself.

"Josh obviously didn't mean it but it was a bad one. My ankle twisted and I can feel the screw in my ankle now. That's part and parcel of football."

Steven has been working with Show Racism the Red Card. He works alongside the likes of Derek Ferguson and Mikey Weir delivering talks in schools. The job includes some football coaching and he has also been coaching youths in the Castlemilk area where he grew up.

"I am lucky when I came out of full time football that I knew people and some of the voluntary work I had been doing helped me get a job."