Kirk's cup hopes

"Dunfermline always seem to have that little bit of luck that you need in the cups; we have had good runs in the Scottish Cup so hopefully that can continue.

Pars hit man Andy Kirk can't wait for Sunday's cup tie against Celtic and the Club's biggest pay day of the season:-

"They have brought in a few big names during the transfer window that have made it a bit more interesting.  As a footballer you always want to play at the highest level that you can and they don't come much bigger than Robbie Keane.  He is a world class player and to be on the same park as him and to be able to say you played against him is going to be a great thing for the players"

All this means that Andy's extra time goal at Stenhousemuir is of growing financial importance to a club like Dunfermline.

"I scored the winning goal but it was a huge team effort from the boys and there was a lot of work put into it, not just by the players but by those behind the scenes as well. As a club we are all delighted to be there.

"Celtic are the favourites to go through so the pressure will all be on them. They have not been doing too well of late and our form has been quite good. We are the home side and football is a funny game - on our day we can be a match for most teams.

"Celtic had a poor result at Kilmarnock and they will be looking to bounce back. They will be expecting to progress to the next round but we will be going into the game with a positive attitude and on our day we are a good footballing side that can move on."

"There has been a wee bit of chaos here and there. The Manager has kept the players away from all the stuff that has been happening behind the scenes. He has just been focussed on getting us prepared for the replay. We knew what was at stake and I have said it before that we are absolutely delighted to get in the next round to play against Celtic."

That means coming up against two friends since through inclusion the last two Northern Ireland international squads Andy knows the Celtic pair Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn:-

"They are nice guys and quality players and another two for us to pin down."

And while Andy attempts to be the pin up for the Pars, cup competitions have never held much romance for him. While at Boston United and Northampton he played against Crewe and Walsall, Darlington, Grimsby and Barnet, Wycombe, Stevenage Town and Crystal Palace. He has also come up against Hornchurch, Hereford and Hartlepool proving that hurricane hardly ever happen in Andy Kirk's cup campaigns.

His luck changed at Dunfermline with the famous penalty shoot out victory against Aberdeen that took them through to a Semi Final last season against Falkirk.

"Dunfermline always seem to have that little bit of luck that you need in the cups; we have had good runs in the Scottish Cup so hopefully that can continue. If we as a team can put in the right performance and get a decent result against Celtic it would be nice. It would be good score against Celtic but it would be even nicer to progress as a team."