View from between the sticks

Greg Fleming analyses Arbroath game and looks forward to Championship opposition.

John Redman scores in 73rd minute

Goalkeeper Greg Fleming was disappointed to allow Arbroath a goal on Saturday:-

"You want to start with a clean sheet; I should have come for the ball.  If we hadn't conceded there we might have gone on to score another couple of goals but to get the goal gave them a massive lift.

"It is just one of those things, I need to get my sharpness back.  The Manager told me I should have gone for it but you already know yourself that you have made a mistake."

Greg pulled off a fine save from Barry Sellars two minutes from full time to prevent the cup tie going to extra time.

"He hit it well and it moved in the air a bit.  I got a hand on it and it went wide of the goal.  It is all about getting used to playing again and playing with a new defence.  We are through to the next round so we can build on that.

"The defence played well.  Stephen Glass is a central midfielder but he filled in really well at left back. Oz (Austin McCann) is a left back and he filled in really well at centre half.  It just shows that the lads can play there and gives us options if that was to happen again."

The keeper is on loan from Football League club, Oldham Athletic, where he made 20 league and cup appearances last season. On Wednesday he will face English opponents again, Greg looked ahead to the friendly against Coventry City:-

"I imagine that they will be a big side with lads over six feet tall in their team.  They will all be good on the ball and pass it about.I have not played against them so I am not too sure but most teams in the Championship have big lads who are fit, fast and good on the ball."

How does life in the English leagues compare to the Scottish game?

"There are some massive clubs in League One - Leicester City, Leeds, Huddersfield - you don't actually realise how big they are until you go down there.  There are big clubs up here as well so it is similar."

For Greg it's a real pleasure to be playing at East End Park.  The Dunfermline born keeper watched the Pars knock out Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup on Sky TV and travelled up for the Semi Final against Falkirk.  He described how it feels for a supporter to play for the Pars:-

"Obviously I am enjoying it.  It has just started now, hopefully by the end it will have been a very good season."