By Lars Niven

DUNFERMLINE goalkeeper Paul Gallacher reckons three battling wins in a row proves the Pars are slowly starting to turn the corner after a miserable start to life in the first division.

Gallacher pulled off his second penalty save of the season to deny Queen of the South’s Stephen Dobbie a last minute equaliser as the Fifers held out at Palmerston on Saturday.

The former Dundee United keeper had already saved one against Dunfermline’s promotion rivals Dundee and admitted it was as much a case of “guess and go” as anything else.

The modest 28-year-old played down his heroics and insisted keeping a clean sheet in any game was just a bonus.

“It was pleasing making the save at the weekend, but obviously the most important thing was the three points, which was our main aim, and we got that,” he told Courier Sport yesterday.

“Sometimes it’s guesswork and sometimes you may have an idea because you’ve seen the player take penalties in the past or whatever, but most of the time if I’m honest it’s just a case of make your mind up and go.

“I’ve been quite fortunate and made a few penalty saves.

“Since I’ve been here I’ve saved two, so it’s going alright on that front at the moment.”

Gallacher revealed he doesn’t keep track of statistics like how many penalties he has saved and how many clean sheets he has kept.

“I don’t like things playing on my mind,” he said.

“Obviously if you are losing a lot of goals then the next game you want to keep a clean sheet.

“The main aim for us at the moment is to win games.

“We’ve won three games on the bounce and we are wanting to maintain that.

“Keeping a clean sheet is just a bonus.”

Gallacher was signed on loan from Norwich City in August by Pars boss Stephen Kenny and the keeper admitted he’s enjoying life at East End Park in spite of the team’s rocky start to the season.

“We are playing in a difficult league,” he said.

“There’s a few teams vying for promotion, but with us having just come down we want to go back up there at the first effort.

“It’s been a trying start to the season, a difficult start, but I think we are slowly turning a corner.

“We have had a few scrappy games this week and we have got the points, so there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.

“Before we were playing really well and dropping points.

“In the last week we have really scrapped and worked for each other.

“At the moment though I’ve got to focus on playing first team football and I’m getting the chance to do that here.

“It’s working out well.

“I wasn’t going to get a game this season at Norwich and the gaffer made that clear to me, so I came up the road and Dunfermline offered me the chance to play first team football.

“I’m enjoying it.

“There’s a great bunch of lads here and some experienced pros.”