Managers post match comments

Link to audio of both managers` post match comments

Allan Johnston was pleased to record a comfortable home win over Livingston, he told the media:-

"We knew that it was going to be a hard game because they have been the surprise package this year. They have been a really good team and knew that they were a danger at setpieces. We lost a goal at the end from a setpiece because they have a lot of height on their team.

"Today I thought we passed the ball well, especially in the first half. Some of the passing and movement led to two really good goals and one a bit fortunate even though Higgy said that he meant it.

"I am delighted with the performance, even in the second half we restricted them to very few opportunities. We could probably have done a bit better on the counterattack in the second half but there were a lot of good individual performances there."

Dunfermline demonstrated the importance of scoring the first goal and their manager claimed that was massive in the Championship.

"Today I thought our energy levels, the way we passed the ball when in the last couple of weeks we have maybe not passed the ball as well as we have been at the start of the season, meant that we were more of a threat going forward. We put more crosses into the box, we had more shots and that was getting back to the standards we set at the start of the season."

Fraser Aird put the Pars two up on the half hour with a special effort, his manager thought that his Canadian internationalist played really well in his fifth Dunfermline appearance, one that earned him the Man of the Match award. AJ continued:-

"He was picking up in really good areas, he was really positive when he was getting the ball. He was driving at people and having seen his goal over again there, it was a great goal. Obviously Higgy makes a good run off the ball but he comes inside and just bends it into the top corner.

"He has been waiting for his chance, he has been patient but over the last few weeks he has probably been a lot brighter in training and you can see that he is getting back to the level that he has been at before.

"I think getting the Canada call up has given him a big boost as well. It is great to see him make a stake for his place in the team."

Aird was involved in the build up to the third Dunfermline goal put away in style by Kallum Higginbotham seven minutes before half time. The three goal advantage made it hard for the opposition to congress me back felt Allan Johnston:-

"We have not been losing a lot of goals. I thought at the back we looked really solid. That is why it was a little frustrating losing that goal at the very end but they did pile the players forward for the corner. They have a lot of height and sometimes that happens. That looked like the only way that they were going to score."

There would appear to be a bit of irony in the fact that Aird was discovered to be an ideal occupant of the left midfielder role in a match where Joe Cardle made his return, albeit as a substitute after an absence of five weeks due to a hamstring injury picked up in the home match against St Mirren. The manager commented on the importance of Joe to the team:-

"Joe is a massive player for us, you can see that we have missed that balance on the left hand side. Typical that Airdy should produce a performance like that today. It is great, that is what you want - a bit of competition and Joe is going to take a bit of time to get up to speed as well."

Did Livi avoid a hiding given the number of chances Dunfermline had in the second half?

"We are just delighted to win and put in a good performance. We probably could have killed them off with a wee bit better quality in the second half. It was a really good performance and we just need to build on that.

"You can see how competitive this league is and we cannot slack. We need to make sure that is the standard week in week out. We have another really hard game next week (v Inverness Caley Thistle) so it is one to look forward to."

St Mirren and Dundee United (0-2 v Inverness) both dropped points so was it a good day for Dunfermline?

"That is going to happen in this league. The teams are that similar and there are going to be a lot of results like that. It is hard to predict results in this league so we just have to make sure that we concentrate on ourselves and produce that type of energy level and quality every week."

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