Manager on Thursday

22/11/18: AJ - “We definitely need to start picking up results and there is no harder place to go than Ross County away

Manager Allan Johnston is hoping that the week without a fixture due to the international break will have been good for his players:-

“It gives a wee bit of freshness to regroup again because it is an important part of the season.

“I have been saying it for a number of weeks, we need to go on a run, definitely need to start picking up results and there is no harder place to go than Ross County away with the players that they have got. We are going to have to play at our very best to go there and pick up something.”

Given the Pars impressive away form - just one defeat (at Ayr) in all competitions this season there is optimism when the team is on the road. Allan commented:-

“It is strange when you look at the away form, the goals we have scored and the results that we have had. Then compare that to the home form which is shocking. At the moment at home we seemed to be getting punished for every single mistake. Falkirk has more or less one shot on target and it goes in.

“We have to address that, take our chances at the other side because we had enough chances to win the game. We have to be more clinical.

“It is difficult to tell how they are actually feeling but looking at the results you would maybe say it is less pressure or maybe it is teams setting up different. Teams like Falkirk, Alloa and Queen of the South have come a sat in. They sit behind the ball in numbers, hoping to try and catch you with that one chance. Teams this season seem to be getting that one chance and scoring from it.

“As I have said before, we are having enough possession and chances for our strikers to be scoring goals. Wide players have to contribute as well. If you look at it that is where we are falling short.”

The catch up fixture against Ross County is the only Championship match and so creates an opportunity to close ground on others. AJ added:-

“We need to start getting results, I think we are more than capable of doing it. I don’t think that there is an outstanding team in this division but if you can manage to put a run of results together like Dundee United and they are up there challenging. That is what we need to do and the sooner we do it the better otherwise it is going to be difficult

“Every game is massive when it gets to this stage of the season in the position that we are in. It is important that we get the results, sometimes you need to grind out results and obviously when the chances come along you need to make sure that you take them.

“It is a hard league but I feel that we are capable of climbing the table. I feel when you look at all the teams that we have played, you wouldn’t have said that anybody has battered us.

“You wouldn’t have said that we have been outclassed against the majority of the teams that we have played but we need to win these types of games especially when you have a lot of possession and creating chances. Teams at some point are always going to get one chance, it doesn’t matter how well you defend.”

When your strikers are not scoring the manager said this puts pressure on the rest of the team:-

“Especially if we lose a goal, we are immediately under pressure because we are not scoring goals. We need to improve on that. When you look at the strikers that we have got, we should be scoring goals. They have had chances and I’m sure that it will turn if we keep doing the right things.”

Asked if he was feeling pressure as well AJ replied:-

“I can only try to do my best, try and get us to win games. It is the players who get the brunt of the pressure because they are the ones who are playing. They are the ones who have to do it on the park. Unfortunately my days are gone trying to play.”

Giving an update on player availability, on loan striker Aidan Keena has returned to Hearts for treatment to a dead leg and there is hope that he might train soon.

“We have a few injuries but as I have said before we have a big squad and we should be able to handle that even though it seems like a lot of injuries that we have at the moment.

“Mark Durnan is getting closer, he is probably going to start joining in parts of training at some point next week if he continues to progress.

“Louis Longridge looks as though he is going to have an operation so he is away down today to see the specialist. Hopefully he can get something done.

“Guys like Tom Beadling is just coming back so we just need to build up his rehab really slow.”

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