Manager on Monday

02/03/20: SC - “We are respectful of where we’re going, we lost the game the last time against them and we are going to have to work extremely hard to turn that result around.”

“As I said after the game on Saturday, I thought to a man the boys were terrific. The disappointment with the result, not the performance, against Inverness never showed. If anything they showed a steeliness to us that they were determined to get the three points to get us up amongst the play off positions again.”

Saturday’s performance was a great success given the fact that Dundee United had pulled away with such a big lead and the atmosphere in front of six thousand plus people was great.

“We competed, we played football, we got a clean sheet, we had boys with the boys bandaged heads, burst noses, people having to come off injured. It was a proper man’s game.

“The pleasing thing for us was that they showed us a side in their development that they are starting to become a little bit more streetwise at times. As I say we still looked like we could have scored more goals at the weekend but we were not going to give away anything cheaply and that was pleasing for us.”

The 2-0 win hoisted the Pars above Arbroath, their opponents on Wednesday night and the manager claims that is a boost going into a busy run of games. SC continued:-

“There are games coming left, right and centre at the moment none tougher than up at Arbroath on Wednesday night. It is a good boost for the boys’ confidence and nothing more than that. We can’t get carried away because we are still out with the play-off positions that we are longing to get into.

“If we can perform and apply ourselves in the manner we did in the last two games then I am sure that we can go up to Arbroath in a positive frame of mind.

“The consistency has been there since the Dundee game. It was a very good performance on the Friday night, then we went down to Queens and won in a different manner. We waited a long time then until the game against Inverness. I thought the performance on the night was everything that we asked and more. Having watched the game back it was things outwith our control that had an impact on the game that night.”

Defeat by Caley Thistle in the first of the back to back league matches against the top two teams in the Championship, was followed by a win to extinguish the 13 year record lacking a victory at home over the Terrors. Stevie continued:-

“To go that period of time without beating Dundee United breeds a confidence, hopefully not an arrogance that we think we just need to turn up at places. We need to focus between now and the end of the season to try and get into the play-off positions.”

The last time time Dunfermline travelled to Arbroath they ended up with a battle not just with the opposition but also the weather. It was the last day of August it was sunny and a welcome 18°C but the wind destroyed the game. Stevie put that down as a major contributor to the 1-0 loss:-

“It was the conditions and we can expect to face the same conditions again. We are sitting level on points with Arbroath and I know that there is talk about Arbroath and Alloa being part time teams but they are two very good sides. They are different, they have different ways to approach games as have other teams in the league but we have to focus on what we are going to go and try and do up at Arbroath.

“I am sure that Dick (Campbell) will be thinking about what he wants to do to try and exploit us. We are respectful of where we’re going, we lost the game the last time against them and we are going to have to work extremely hard to turn that result around.”

The gaffer had no update on the players - Aaron Comrie, Kevin Nisbet, Ethan Ross and Euan Murray - who appeared to sustain injury on Saturday.

“It is still early in regards to that at the moment with it being Monday. They have had their recovery day and we will monitor them after they have been treated and see how they are tomorrow morning.”

Gabby McGill was not in the squad for Saturday was he injured?

“Yes, he had tendonitis last week in his knee which was unfortunate but Gabby has managed to train this morning, we will just have to monitor how he is and see if there any reaction to that in the morning.”

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