Pars need confidence building win

Paul Watson:- “If I was out there I would have booed as well. It wasn’t good enough and as I said I just felt that the team was just all over the place.

Saturday’s defeat to Arbroath on the back of a similar 3-0 loss to Partick Thistle in the previous home match made it the poorest back to back home defeats since 2013. The focus now has to be trying to turn around these bad results and central defender Paul Watson, talking after the match, suggested that it is becoming a matter of questioning their abilities:-

“Yes I think it is just confidence. We have a good group of players in there and it takes just one win to get you off the mark. Then you build on that but we have not got it in three games. We are conceding too many sloppy goals and not getting any at the other end either. If we can get one win, get off the mark and hopefully it turns around.”

The disappointing league results come on the back of impressive results in the Premier Sports Cup games at the start of the season so the recent results are frustrating and somewhat baffling for those coming to watch the matches:-

“We are trying to figure that out as well. No disrespect to them but it was lesser opposition in those games. I know that it was only 1-0 against St Mirren but we still lost the game.”

Paul congratulated Arbroath as he felt they fully deserved the three points since they were on top for most of the game:-

“I thought they out-fought us and we are just really disappointed. Arbroath were no surprise because that is what they do and they have done it for years. I felt that we were just all over the place really. I think that was clear to see.”

After the manager revealed news of covid cases in the squad that made his selection uncertain right up until kick off, Paul dismissed that as a reason for the defeat:-

“Well, I wouldn’t have said so. There are maybe three or four players affected by covid. I am probably lucky to be playing, I don’t think I was playing but I got into the team because of it.

“I don’t think that affected us too much, the training was still the same. We prepared right for it but is just not working at the minute. I think that is clear to see.”

Paul shared the disappointment of seeing his side sitting bottom of the table with a lot of points to make up:-

“We are eleven off the top with a game in hand. We were talking about winning the league but when you are that far behind you are giving yourself a lot to do even this early on. It is going to take a big turnaround to get that back. You need 18 points a quarter and we are not going to get that. We need to stick together and hopefully we can turn it around as a squad.”

The fans booed the team off the park at the end and Paul admitted that was fully deserved:-

“If I was out there I would have booed as well. It wasn’t good enough and as I said I just felt that the team was just all over the place.”

There were moments in the game that could have turned it all around but Paul pointed out how things can go against you:-

“The one that Kev put in I think was going in, Todorov had a few chances. We are creating chances, they are just not going in.

“We just need a game where they go in and then we keep them out at the other end, as simple as it sounds, and we get the victory and we build on it.”

The 30 year old who signed for Dunfermline in June 2020 said that the team would rally around keeper Deniz Mehmet who everyone saw making a mistake to let Arbroath in for the first goal of the game:-

“Den is a good lad, he is disappointed in there with his head in his hands. He is gutted but he is mentally strong and I’m sure that he will bounce back fine.”

The Pars change to four at the back did not affect the team in Paul’s opinion who when asked what would be his preference, he replied:-

“It is not me that picks it, it is completely down to the manager. It is his decisions and whatever he decides we go out and try and do.”

Next up is the trip to Elgin to play League Two opponents in the SPFL Trust Trophy and that is what Paul and the squad turn to next. They all hope that a good win will signal a good return to form:-

“We are away from the league this week and we just need to focus on that now and try and get a victory under the belt and then build from there.”

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