Dunfermline Steven Bell has admitted Stirling Albion probably saved his career.
Yet, as he showed when he scored the opener against the Binos in a 5-1 rout by the Pars in August, there is no room for sentiment in football and he will be going all out to secure another win against his former side at East End Park this Saturday.
Bell started his career with Dundee United without ever playing a first-team game for them, and then secured a move to Queen of the South.
However, injury curtailed his time at Palmerston and he was released at the end of the 2004-05 season.
It looked as if the midfielder may have been lost to the game altogether, but the then Stirling manager, Allan Moore, took a gamble on him following the recommendations of two coaches from his spell at Tannadice.
“I will always have a soft spot for Stirling,” confessed Bell.
“I have a lot of good pals who still play there such as Chris Aitken, who was at my wedding in the summer, Ross Forsyth, Nathan Taggart and Scott Christie.
“There were a few texts flying back and forward the last time we played them, and I am sure it will be the same again this Saturday.Disappointed”I think Ross and Chris are both suspended, so they will be really disappointed to miss out on a chance to come to our ground and play against me. “Stirling gave me a chance to play senior football. They probably saved my career I have said that from day one.
“After I was released by Queens, Allan Moore phoned Owen Coyle and Tony Docherty, who knew me from my time at United, and asked them if I was worth taking a chance on.
“They both said they were surprised to see me getting released.”
He continued, “Obviously, it worked out well for me and I really enjoyed my time there. I made a lot of good friends and it was also great to win promotion from the second division with the club.”
Second-top Dunfermline will start today’s game as firm favourites, especially after their 5-1 victory in August.
However, Stirling come to East End Park on the back of a four-game unbeaten run, which has included a win at the home of league leaders Raith Rovers and a 4-2 victory over Partick Thistle last Saturday.
So Pars boss Jim McIntyre is determined there will be no complacency from his side as they look to regain top spot in the division.
“Stirling have done really well,” he said.
“They are four games unbeaten including wins over Raith and Partick and they will come full of confidence after those results, so we will need to be at our best.
“The lads know how tough a game it will be, and there is no chance we will be treating the opposition lightly.Advantage”But we’ll look to make home advantage count.”
Dunfermline will be without Alex Burke, Nicky Phinn, Greg Paterson and Jack Ross.
Ross is out for six to eight weeks after undergoing cartilage surgery.
Meanwhile, Binos boss John O’Neil believes Albion will be ready for the challenge.
“The last game against Dunfermline was one of those games when we got punished for every mistake we made,” he said.
“But personnel wise-the players’ mentality as well-everything has improved and changed since then. Regardless of results, our performances have improved drastically and have managed to get a few good results along the way.
“I have a squad of players who will go into the game in a positive frame of mind so hopefully we can go there, do ourselves justice, and get a result.
“We are all looking forward to the game and it’s a case of trying to continue the form we are in.”
Pars star Kirk agrees with O’Neill’s assessment, saying, “When we beat Stirling it was a great result, but they have picked up really well and are unbeaten in their last four games.
“They scored four goals against Partick Thistle at the weekend and that tells you how well they are playing but we are more concerned about what we do.”