The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Beadling hopes to keep Dee ace quiet
DUNFERMLINE: Midfielder will relish rivalry with former Black Cat pal Nelson
Tom Beadling is desperate to get one over pal Andrew Nelson tomorrow night and help Dunfermline kick off the new league season in style.
The pair came through the ranks at Sunderland together and will come face to face as the Pars host Dundee in the Championship curtain-raiser.
Nelson started all four of the Dark Blues’ Betfred Cup ties, bagging a double in their opening tie against Raith Rovers, and is expected to be a key figure at Dens Park this term.
Beadling has likewise been an everpresent for the Fifers and netted his second of the campaign with a stunning strike against East Kilbride at the weekend.
After topping their group and landing a last-16 encounter with champions Celtic, the 23-year-old insists the mood at East End Park is positive going into a mouthwatering start to the league.
And the defensive midfielder hopes he both he and Dunfermline can emerge with the bragging rights as they set off on another bid for promotion back to the Premiership.
He said: “I think it’s a perfect way to start the season, with a tough game against the side that’s just come down.
“We’ll be able to see where we’re at after the game and we’re all really looking forward to it.
“It’s a good game to start with, it’s exciting, there’ll be a good crowd, a good atmosphere and it’s a Friday night under the lights, and on the telly as well, so it’ll be a good one.
“I know Nel well as I was at Sunderland with him for a while, so I know what he’s about. We’ll do our best to keep him quiet. I know that he’s happy, he loves it up at Dundee, and he’s scored a few goals. As a striker, he’s going to be happy doing that. We’ll have to make sure he’s not happy on Friday.
“I like it when I play against someone I know really well, I feel like I can get the edge on them if I know them.
“I’m sure he’ll be thinking exactly the same. But it will all come down to Friday night, so we’ll see what happens.”
Beadling accepts that Dundee, having just been relegated from the Premiership, and rivals Dundee United have every right to be regarded as favourites for the title.
However, he believes Dunfermline should be quietly confident in their own chances for the season ahead after a Betfred Cup group series that included a win away to St Mirren and heavy victories over Albion Rovers and East Kilbride.
He added: “We’re happy with the way we’ve started in the Betfred Cup. We topped the group, we would definitely have taken that at the start, and we’ve qualified for the next round, and that’s all that matters, really. We’ve put in some good performances along the way, so we’re happy.
“It’s completely fine that the Dundee teams see themselves as favourites. Dundee are a good side, they’ve got good players; we know that and we’ll respect them.
“But we’ve got good players as well and we know what we’re capable of. We’ll prepare well and see what happens.
“Hopefully we can keep up the momentum we’ve got and not let it drop. We won’t get carried away, we’re working very hard on the training pitch every day and it’s paying off.