DUNFERMLINE Athletic's fit again midfielder, Graeme Holmes, has thanked Airdrie United for getting his career back on track. Now he wants to put one over his old friends to book a Scottish Cup quarter-final place.
The 24-year-old will be for-ever grateful to the Diamonds for rescuing him in late 2005 after he was dumped on the scrap heap by Dundee United.
Holmes thrived in Lanarkshire amongst a "crazy" group, earning his move to the Pars last summer when
his ex-Tannadice team-mate Jim McIntyre snapped him up on a two-year deal.
But it soon went horribly wrong for the youngster when a niggling hamstring problem was connected to discs rubbing in his back which resulted in surgery.
Holmes had only made four substitute appearances for the Fifers before he finally secured a start at Partick Thistle on Saturday and impressed in the fighting 3-2 triumph.
Now with the promotion-chasing Pars fighting on two fronts in the league and cup, Holmes is eager to boost his new-found fitness by helping secure a last-eight place at home to Aberdeen or East Fife.
Ahead of tonight's trip to their bottom-placed First Division rivals, he said: "I was at Airdrie almost three years and loved it. "I got let go by Dundee United and initially I just went there to train, before they liked me and offered a contract. "The boys were great, it was a bit of a crazy atmosphere and I was pleased with how it went before moving on to Dunfermline.
"To be honest, Airdrie got my career back on track. When I left Dundee United, I didn't know what I was going to do. "I was just happy to get the chance to play football and it was Sandy Stewart who was great to me and then Kenny Black.
"I've got a lot of friends there. Guys like Kevin McDonald, Steven McDougall, Stephen Robertson and Paul Lovering. "Hopefully I can start against my old mates. It's been a nightmare with my injury, struggling for more than half a season, but I think my fitness is coming back. My good pal Kevin is a midfielder as well, so it would be nice to face him. It's a massive chance to get into the quarter-finals, but they'll see it as a good chance as well."
Airdrie's cup pedigree is renowned. Even this season, they shocked Hearts on penalties in the Co-operative Insurance Cup at Tynecastle and lifted the Challenge Cup in November.
But Dunfermline have already won in Lanarkshire this term and Holmes hopes for a repeat.
He added: "Airdrie have always been good at home. They have also always been known as a battling team, but they do try to play football.
"Joe Cardle is good on one wing and McDougall on the other. They break well, it's never easy there, but we fancy our chances as our away form has been strong."
The full article contains 504 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
