Manager on Thursday

“We have three games that we want to take points from and if we do that then we will be fine.

Stevie Crawford spent Tuesday night at Cappielow watching two of Dunfermline’s last three opponents Morton and Inverness Caley Thistle.

“I know that there is nine points in it and there are three games left. We need results to go in our favour but the trip to Greenock allowed Cal, Greg and myself a bit of time to chat over how we are going to approach these games.

“It has been full on since we came into the roles and first and foremost we discuss football but it allows us to get to know each other better. It has been a very busy period for us and the two of them have worked extremely hard since coming in.

“Morton were probably the better side in the first half, Inverness worked away at it and scored just as we left but we have done our homework on them.”

The management team have looked back on Saturday’s defeat to Falkirk and his belief remains the same as he said after the match that his side created enough chances to win a game of football.

“When it is against your rivals it is a harder one to take at the time. I didn’t want it dwelling into our working week, that is human nature and to a degree you want to see that, it is hurting players but they were lively today in training.

“We are not on a great run of form ourselves in terms of points from our last five games so whether that gives people the opportunity to come into the team at the weekend against Queens, stake a claim and show what they have got - that will be a decision that we make as a coaching staff between now and Saturday’s game.

“We have three games that we want to take points from and if we do that then we will be fine. The league has been unbelievable this year with teams picking points up off anybody really.

“We will go into the Queen of the South game on the disappointment of losing a game 1-0 that we feel we should have taken all three points from.

“If there are boys given opportunities then maybe the frustrations of them not playing as many games as they would have liked then come into the team, make sure that they are adding to the team if that’s the line we go down, and bring us the freshness to get a victory down at Queens.

“I keep getting asked but it is not a case of looking at players for next season when mathematically it is still possible to get in the play offs, but equally if you look down the way, you could get drawn into something that you don’t want to get drawn into.

“In the last five games we have drawn one and there comes a time when people who have been patient, in a situation where we have a few injuries, I think it is only right that people get an opportunity to come into the team.”

Injury wise - Aidan Connolly and Robbie Muirhead played an hour in the reserves on Monday. Ryan Williamson and Louis Longridge trained today but the weekend will probably be too soon for Tom Beadling. Joe Thomson is out with his cruciate.

“Joe Thomson will get his operation first week in May but he is a strong, positive character. There are no issues there trying to keep him going.”

Signing off on Saturday’s match SC pointed out:-

“They are on a run of games where they have not been winning as well. Gary Naysmith will be concerned about that. Likewise I am looking at our form at the moment in terms of picking up points. Some of the performances have been decent but we have not taken enough points for the games.

“I am not overly concerned about Queen of the South, it is more our reaction after the game against Falkirk. If we go about our business and we do things properly then we will come away with a result. If we don’t apply ourselves and go about our work properly, Dumfries is a hard place to go to come away with something.”

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