James Craigen realises he is in for plenty stick after swapping Falkirk for bitter rivals Dunfermline – but hopes to provide the perfect answer on the pitch.
The former Partick Thistle midfielder has ended up at East End Park via the Pars’ two biggest sworn enemies, having joined Falkirk from Raith Rovers in 2016.
However, the 26-year-old insists he did not hesitate in agreeing a deal with Dunfermline for the remainder of the season after negotiating his release from the Bairns earlier this week.
Craigen found himself frozen out under Paul Hartley at Falkirk in recent weeks and opted to seek a new club where he would feel wanted, and hopes he has found just that at Dunfermline.
He said: “It’s nice to get sorted out with a new club quickly, so I’m pleased and delighted to join Dunfermline for the rest of the season.
“I hadn’t featured in the last few games at Falkirk, so it was a case of thinking ‘do I want to be on the periphery for the rest of the season’?
“Or do I want to look to try to go somewhere else and try to get some more game-time.
“It’s a really good move for me, Dunfermline are doing well. We played them a couple of weeks ago with Falkirk and they play some nice football under Allan Johnston.
“He’s said he wants me to stamp my authority on games. He believes in the ability I have and he wants me to go out and really contribute for the rest of the season – whether that’s scoring goals or creating goals.
“At the end of the day, I’m a professional footballer and in many respects it’s a job like any other job.
“I had a great year at Raith and I enjoyed my 18 months at Falkirk, I’ve not got a bad word to say about them, so from my point of view there’s no hard feelings.
“I would imagine I’ll get a bit of stick from both sets of fans, that’s just what it’s like.
“But I enjoyed my time at both clubs and now I’m looking forward to the next five months at Dunfermline.”
With Falkirk not having featured in the competition so far, Craigen is available and in line to make his Dunfermline debut in this afternoon’s Scottish Cup tie at home to Championship rivals Morton.
He added: “It’s worked out well that we had a bye in the third round of the cup at Falkirk. It’s great that I’m not cup-tied and I can get involved straight away.
“When you sign somewhere, it’s never good if you have to wait another week when you’re itching to get involved.
“So, hopefully I can get off to a good start and we can get the win and get through to the next round of the cup.”
