Testing times but numbers back for Ayr
Tuesday, 7th Sep 202107/09/21: PG - “The game was called off and when we came in to train on Saturday morning we had lost another three.
After having to scratch from the SPFL Trust Trophy last weekend Dunfermline boss Peter Grant is “absolutely positive” that he will have more than enough players to fulfil this Saturday’s away game against Ayr United. Speaking on Tuesday he said:-
“It’s been very frustrating, probably culminating in the last game, with the performance and the result. Then, we were preparing for the Elgin game and it was ironic that once the game was called off, we lost three players the next day as well.
“I know everybody’s been through similar situations, so we have to accept it and get on with it. The Covid situation is a fluid situation, but we also picked up a few injuries as well, which wasn’t the ideal timing. If you are in a contact sport there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.”
The shortage was further affected by the absence of Vytas Gašpuitis and Kai Kennedy away on international duty with Lithuania and Scotland U21s. The upside is that Peter expects a couple more players back this week who will hopefully be able to join back in on Thursday. He continued:-
“It’s not been ideal, not when you’ve had a result and performance like we did in the previous game. You just want to get back on the horse and play again, no matter what it is. It seems like it’s been a hell of a long time, that’s for sure.”
Had Saturday’s cup tie gone ahead with the game Peter revealed that he would have ended up with nine players!
“The game was called off and when we came in to train on Saturday morning we had lost another three. There’s just nothing you can do about it. Probably the big call for us was because we were going to be in each others’ company, travelling and changing and having a bite to eat.
“Was the gamble going to be worth it? At that point I had something like 13 players but was that worth it if we lost out this week because if anything happened to those boys they would have had to go into isolation?
“We’re all testing every single day at the moment because some boys are coming in with heavy colds and coughs and whatever, which is normal at this time of the year.”
There were only six or seven for training one day but the manager claimed that he still tried to make sure the work was put in.
“I think that’s important for the individuals. We can’t just shut everything down. The ones that were available to train could stay separate anyway, but there were a few coming in with heavy coughs and colds and we thought, ‘is this is spreading through the squad’.
“Thankfully, at this moment in time they’ve been testing negative, which is great but we’ve had to send them away because we’re not allowed to keep them about the group.
“It gives us a major concern. You can’t say just train and keep them in the building, so they miss another day of training. We have to deal with it and I know we’re not the only club going through that situation at this moment in time.”
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