Beadling given n coffee club boost

Pars midfielder missed out on loyalty card – but back in first team

Dunfermline midfielder Tom Beadling insists he relied on a mix of coffee and camaraderie to navigate his injury nightmare as he prepares to make his long-awaited return to action this afternoon.

The 22-year-old suffered an excruciating thigh tear during a 2-1 triumph over fierce rivals Falkirk in April and – barring an aborted comeback against Inverness in August – has been sidelined for the subsequent six months.

The former Sunderland youngster readily admits his spell on the treatment table was a struggle, only mitigated by Dunfermline’s regular coffee club.

Team-mates James Craigen and Ryan Williamson, who battled back from a broken leg in 2015 to become a Scotland under-21 internationalist, were particularly valuable sounding boards as the frustration kicked in.

“Cragsy (Craigen) and Ryzo (Williamson) both helped me a lot, going for coffee and chat two or three times a week – I drank a lot of coffee when I was injured,” said Beadling.

“I missed a trick not getting a loyalty card – I would have been due about 18 free drinks! Ryzo has one. He’s clever like that.

“He is a great example to me. He has come back from a really serious injury stronger and it proves that it’s not the end of the world. He’s a great character to have around and was a big help.

“It has felt like a long road back. I’ve watched a lot of football from the stands and, as a player, that’s probably the worst thing you can do.

“I found it very frustrating. It actually got worse with time. I thought I might get used to it, but it became even more difficult. I’m not one of those guys who is OK watching from the sidelines. You are just desperate to be out there playing.”

However, Beadling has now returned to full training and is in contention for this afternoon’s Irn-Bru Cup last-16 clash with

Championship rivals Alloa. And he acknowledges that stepping back on to the turf at East End Park for the first time since April 3 would be a cathartic moment.

“It would be really nice to get back out there, to say the least,” he continued.

“Just to get a few minutes and be back on the pitch – especially in front of our own fans at home – would be pretty special.

“After watching all these games this season, all I’ve wanted was this moment – getting back playing.

“I just need to work hard, get my head down and get back to where I was. I’ve had a few good weeks’ training and just being back on the grass with the boys has been a pleasure. Now I just need to find my sharpness.”

Having racked up round-trips totalling 1,060 miles from their encounters against Boreham Wood and Inverness in previous rounds, the Fifers have certainly taken a circuitous route to the last 16 of this competition.

And, while boss Allan Johnston has acknowledged that the Championship remains the Pars’ priority this term, Beadling insists Dunfermline are determined to ensure the final stop on their lengthy Irn-Bru Cup journey is lifting the trophy.

He said: “We had a massive trip to London in the last round, and have been up to Inverness – so we’ve definitely earned our home tie in this round! We want to win it. When you get to this stage, you need to be aiming for that.”

Alloa head to Dunfermline with manager Jim Goodwin looking for his side to repeat the form that brought them Cup success at Dundee United twice already this season.

Goodwin said: “Dunfermline will go with a strong line-up as we are entering the business end of this competition.

They have turned their form around with a couple of wins and they will look to keep that going against us.

“However, we had a good Betfred Cup campaign that included a penalty kick success at Dundee United and we also won at Tannadice in the last round of this cup, so we can go to difficult places and win through.”

Goodwin added: “We know that we are massive underdogs, but we secured a hard-earned point at East End Park in the league and that was achieved in part through a solid defensive display. We will need to be like that again to have a chance.”