A win is striker’s goal

“As players we take full responsibility, we are the ones out on the pitch so we need to go and right it on Saturday with a win.”

As Dunfermline prepare for their fifth Ladbrokes Championship fixture of the season, Pars striker Kevin Nisbet is fully aware that his new club badly needs to register their first league win.

“As players we take full responsibility from the previous weeks but they are away now and we can’t do much about it. We need to look forward to Saturday, put in a good performance and try and get a win.”

His words come after a rollercoaster start to the season where Dunfermline topped their Betfred Cup group and received numerous plaudits for taking the holders Celtic to within six minutes of a penalty shoot out in the next round. The story in the league has not been so good even after going into a two goal lead in the opening match against newly relegated Dundee. Kevin said:-

“That’s football there are a lot of highs and a lot of lows. I think as players we need to deal with it, go out with our chests out and heads held high and try, put a good performance on for the fans and get the three points.

“As a team we are losing too many soft goals and that kind of kills you during the game. As I said, as players we take full responsibility, we are the ones out on the pitch so we need to go and right it on Saturday with a win.”

In the closed season Kevin made the move from League One Raith Rovers and scored 34 goals for them last season. He admits though that the Championship is a harder league:-

“It’s a step up and there are better players in the Championship. I think I have settled in well it is just about us collectively as team. We have not been good enough since the Dundee game, bar the first half of the Queen of the South game. We need to stick by each other and pull each other through on Saturday.”

A draw at Dumfries and a defeat at Arbroath confirms how hard these places are to go:-

“I know from last year playing at Arbroath that they play a style of play where they just do the dirty side very well. They pick up points and obviously they won the league last year from it.

“They have had a good start to the season this year but for us we just need to learn how to do the dirty side better. If we do that we can start playing football with the quality that we have in there to start winning games. We need to keep believing.”

The confidence level and the morale in the changing room is good confirmed Kevin saying:-

“I think we have a lot of confident boys, it is just not happening on the Saturday. Training has been good, the standard has been great but on the Saturday it has just not clicked. Hopefully this Saturday it all clicks and we get our season off to a good start.”

The opposition on Saturday will be provided by John Robertson’s Inverness Caley Thistle, Kevin watched them win 5-0 against Morton and concluded:-

“They are a big physical team but we just need to deal with that. It is part of football, you need to hold your own on the pitch, get the ball down play and hopefully get the chance to score goals.

“It is just getting that first win in the league. If we get that it is like kicking the monkey on your back, you need to get it off as quickly as possible. If we do that on Saturday we will go on a decent run.”

The skilful striker started his career in Patrick’s Thistle Weir Academy, had successful on-loan spells with East Stirling, Ayr United and Dumbarton and also made 15 appearances for Partick Thistle. The opportunity to work with Stevie Crawford influenced his decision to come to Dunfermline saying on joining “I was told he would be the perfect manager and once I spoke to him I could see that.”

The way the gaffer works is exactly what he wants:-

“After every training session he gets the strikers and we do a lot of striker movement and striker finishing. It is great for me and the strikers to have him. He has a lot of experience, he has played at a very good level and when he joins in he is great at finishing as well, he has still got it.

“For us it is all about getting the win on Saturday, getting off second last spot and climb up that table.”

If that win involves converting penalties Kevin revealed that he will be charged with spot kick duty. Having scored three penalties in first three league games at Raith last season, Kevin is hoping that he can score as regularly if penalties are awarded to the Pars.

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