Published: Friday, 5th February, 2010 9:09am

Squeaky-bum time for Hoops fans says Bell

by Graham Gibson

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CELTIC-DAFT Pars midfielder Steven Bell reckons it will be squeaky bum time for Hoops fans when his boyhood heroes come calling at East End Park on Sunday.

Bell reckons he would be worried if he were sitting in the away end due to the Parkhead club's recent poor run of form and the threat posed by the Pars' attacking weapons.

His own family will be among those biting their nails n the away end, while his Celtic-supporting dad, Andrew, will break with tradition to be in the Dunfermline end to cheer on his son.

Bell said, "I would definitely be worried going into this game.

"There's been no easy games for Celtic this season, even against lower teams in the SPL, so it should be a good game on Sunday.

"Celtic are 10 points behind in the league so realistically the Scottish Cup is a must for them.

"I'm not saying the league is over but 10 points is a big deficit.

"My dad will be in the Dunfermline end and brother in law and his brother in the Celtic end.

"This is the only time in my dad's history he has said he wants Celtic to get beat and he's been getting stick from his mates in the pub but he wants to see me do well."

The midfielder is looking to turn tears into cheers after being left sobbing in the showers the last time he was due to play against Celtic.

Bell was part of the Stirling Albion team set to play at Parkhead before discovering in the warm-up he had a fractured leg," he said.

"Two weeks before the game I got injured at home to Morton. I left it for two weeks and trained on the Thursday night and felt okay.

"On the Saturday my old gaffer, Alan Moore, says do you want try it and I just knew in the warm-up.

"I could have played five minutes and come off but that would be doing another boy out of the game.

"I was gutted because as a boy growing up you dream of playing at Parkhead."

Tony Mowbray's transfer window purchases mean Bell will be lining up against a host of new faces in a Celtic shirt.

"They are a different team from when we first got the draw," he reflected.

"The task has definitely got harder but all the boys are excited as you want to play against the best players and show them what you can do.

"Obviously I'd like to see Celtic win the league but at the end of the day I'm 100 per cent Dunfermline.

"The first goal is always important.

"If Celtic score early doors hopefully we would react in the right manner.

"If we go into the game thinking we're going to get beat we will get beat so we've got to go into the game thinking we'll get something.

"With the extra crowd behind us hopefully it'll spur us on on Sunday."