Pars take capital punishment

Ryan Dow:- "We just need to take this disappointment and kick on for Saturday."

Ryan Dow joined Dunfermline in the summer from League Two champions, Peterhead but in the four fixtures against Edinburgh City they never recorded a win. The 28 year old midfielder played in 30 of their league matches and on the three occasions he played the Citizens they were all drawn.

Ryan had warned his team mates before Saturday`s trip to Ainslie Park that the opponents have a lot of good players and with the venue and conditions it was always going to be hard going there:-

"It was going to be a sticky pitch, the football that we played in the last couple of games was never going to be able to be played. From both teams there were more longer balls, it was going to be difficult but we never played well.

"Especially in the second half I didn`t feel they were going to score. I thought if we never got a chance it was going to go to penalties for the bonus point. We might have still nicked it but they got a deflection, it falls for them and they get the win. It is disappointing."

Ryan admitted that he was not keen on AstroTurf when it was warm and dry but was not going to make the playing surface an excuse.

"If you had a choice you would always play on grass but a lot of teams have got it these days, it is the same for both teams."

It did take three good second half saves from City keeper Calum Antell to keep the Pars out - efforts from Kyle Turner and Lewis McCann and a good interception to deny Josh Coley to finish Kevin Nisbet`s cross.

"We were prodding like that, winning a lot of corners in the second half. We didn`t play well but I still thought that we were maybe going to nick it and the worst that we were going to get was a 0-0. They went up the other end and go and score from a wee deflection.

"I don`t think Scully has had a save to make. He says that he made a couple of catches but it is not good enough from us. We go again on Saturday and hopefully put it right and qualify."

The only good thing to come out of Saturday`s results with St Mirren losing on penalties to East Kilbride is that qualification is still really in the Pars hands, a win probably being enough to top the group.

"That is the plan. East Kilbride got a result against a Premiership team but we are at home and hopefully we can more of the stuff that we have played even in the pre season friendly against Hibs in the first half, then at St Mirren and against Albion. We have played some good stuff but on Saturday it just didn`t come off for us.

"We thought that we would get a clean sheet and that would still have been a disappointing result but when they got that goal it was a sucker punch and an even worse result.

"We need to dust ourselves down and keep working hard. The manager has been pleased with us since we came back in. We just need to take this disappointment and kick on for Saturday."

Nine of the starting eleven have started all three of the Betfred Cup games. The side had shown positive signs of coming together but then the set back with the 1-0 defeat in the capital but Ryan said:-

"Every game is not going to go your way and we need to adjust to that, adjust to conditions and I thought we were much better in the second half. We were poor in the first half but we adjusted, changed our game plan a bit and played free flowing football going in behind a bit more.

"We were getting some joy, getting corners etcetera but we just need to keep going and turn it on Saturday. It is a blip and hopefully it is a reality check and wake up call."

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