David Wotherspoon reckons both he and Dunfermline had a ‘point to prove’ in their Fife derby triumph over Raith Rovers.
The former St Johnstone hero played a crucial role in the Pars’ 2-0 victory over their local rivals on Friday night.
After claiming an assist for Ewan Otoo’s heavily-deflected opener in the 52nd minute, Wotherspoon curled in a magnificent second ten minutes from time.
Manager James McPake said afterwards it was the kind of performance that made him so determined to bring the 34-year-old to the club both last year and this summer.
However, it came after the attacking midfielder was benched for the previous two games. That was something Wotherspoon says gave him personal motivation for an impressive display.
“I did feel I had a wee bit of a point to prove after being out of the team,” he said. “I was champing at the bit to get back in.
“Throughout the week, I was speaking to the gaffer. I just want to be part of the team and help the boys as much as I can.
“He’s brought me in and says he wants to use my experience to help what is a young squad. I’ll look to do that, even if I’m not on the pitch.
‘Right at it’
“But I was desperate to get back on the pitch and hopefully I’ve done enough to stay in the team.
“I felt I performed well even before scoring my goal. Everyone did.
“It was a solid team performance from start to finish. Our goalkeeper didn’t have a save to make. I felt we were right at it.”
The victory was Dunfermline’s first in over two years against Raith, who came into the game having won their previous five consecutive meetings of the teams.
Wotherspoon knew all about the derby record and was thrilled to help put a stop to the dire run.
“I was aware of the derby record,” he added. “I was here training last year during pre-season and also at the start of the season when they were playing games.
“And I was always keeping track of how they were getting on, even after I went to Inverness and Dundee United.
“Every time they played Raith, I watched the highlights and they performed really well. I don’t think they deserved to lose all of those games.
“But the manager talked about the record in the build-up. And we had a point to prove to put it right.”
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