Paul Burns Post Hearts

"We have been losing goals through mistakes in the last two games and we needed a reaction to show that we can do something."

Paul Burns made his 12th appearance for the Pars against Hearts but it was the first in what was a right back cum midfielder role. After losing 17 goals in their last five SPL matches Manager Jim McIntyre faced Hearts without Jason Thomson who is on loan from the Tynecastle club. His solution was to play three men at the back - Andy Dowie, John Potter and Austin McCann - with Paul Burns and Paddy Boyle used as wingbacks to grow the defence to a back five when defending. Paul revealed that he had experience of such a set up with his previous club:-

"I played there with Queen of the South as a wing back. We have been losing goals through mistakes in the last two games and we needed a reaction to show that we can do something. Today the shape worked really well and we managed to contain them and get at them at times."

Paul's greatest problem came in the shape of 22 year old Hearts striker David Templeton who was a constant threat down the left flank. He explained the plan behind dealing with that:-

"It was just whatever area he came into. If he was out wide then I would have picked him up, if he had come inside then I would have passed him on to a centre half. He caused us one or two problems going down the wing in the first half but after that we managed to get to grips with him.

"When we went two upfront it gave us another out ball rather than one. When Liam (Buchanan) came on he did well, he held the ball up and managed to get it out wide."

The 27 year old from Ayrshire was very disappointed with the outcome confessing that it was hard to take:-

"We were definitely in the game but two mistakes have cost us when I thought we were probably on top of the game. Especially in the second half when we got right back in the game; we went at them but they went up the park from a slack pass and scored. That knocked the stuffing out of us,

"Before they scored that second goal we could maybe have won the game had we managed to get a goal but their second knocked the wind out of us. It is a defeat but we can take the positives out of the game. We got the reaction that we need; two mistakes have cost us - if we can cut them out then we will be able to go to Inverness for what will be a big game for us. We will need to work hard this week to get things sorted out."

After eight seasons and 270 appearances at Queen of the South, Paul is happy to be playing with Dunfermline in the SPL.

"It's an experience for me and I am working hard to stay in the team. The SPL is a step up; we are playing teams from a higher league. Obviously we have come into the league from the First Division so many people will not expect us to do something. I think that in all the games apart from two we have thoroughly held our own against them. In the Rangers and Aberdeen games we were very disappointing but in every other game we have showed up and proved that we can play at this level. There is still a long way to go yet."