Drawing towards a win

“We have changed quite a bit and it has paid off in the last two games.”

Pars keeper Owain Fôn Williams made several significant saves against his old club to secure a second successive clean sheet for Dunfermline. He was modest in describing “a couple of direct shots” keeping him deployed but he was by far the busier keeper and played a big part in ensuring the unbeaten continued with the goalless draw against Hamilton Academical.

Just two weeks ago Owain prescribed that East End Park had to become a fortress, and the goalkeeper from the land of castles has played a major role in starting the trend. He claimed that you want to make it as difficult as you can for opponents to come here and to get anything from you.

“First and foremost what you want at home is a clean sheet and we have had that twice on the trot. That is your foundations, I have always said that.

“With a clean sheet, all you need is an opportunity at the other end if you have got a base line which is a solid defensive shape. If you have got that and you take one opportunity you win the game. It is not a simple as that is it?

“It breeds confidence and we wanted that. It has been a tough start to the season for us but the last two performances at home are encouraging.”

The 34 year old keeper who has represented Wales indicated that it is communication that has changed in the last two Dunfermline games:-

“That is huge and the distance between every single player, that is massive. We are a lot narrower now against the ball and when you are narrower, you are closer to your mate which means there is less space for the opponent to be able to do something with the ball.

“We have players now being able to pick second balls in a better area. Our line is far better, we are not as deep. We are playing four at the back and I think the boys are comfortable with four at the back. They are used to playing that system so it is more familiar. We have changed quite a bit and it has paid off in the last two games.”

With the re-organised Fife derby looming on Wednesday the problems that the East End Park Club appear to be at the other end of the park. He played down the importance of the opposition with the emphasis rather on winning the three points:-

“It is three points at stake on Wednesday night, that is what it is. I know that it is a Fife derby and I know how important it is but every single game is important whether it is a Fife derby or Hamilton here. They are all the same, they are all three points and you don’t get another point because it is a Fife derby. It is just three points and three points that we need to get.”

Dunfermline fans will treat the match with possibly greater verve given the Pars exit to Raith Rovers in last season’s Premiership Play Offs and coupled with the hope of a first league win of the season it would seem to be a perfect time to start a winning run. Owain agreed:-

“I would absolutely love it. It would be great to take three points there, it really would. We will be aiming to do that like we were doing on Saturday. We were aiming to get three points and it is a great opportunity for us to go there on Wednesday to do that.

“Having said all that, it will be a very tough place to go as we all know. Let’s not all get carried away in that sense. They are a decent side, derbies are always tough, they are never easy. If we apply ourselves like we have done in the last two games then we will give ourselves a great chance.”

With the match live on BBC Scotland channel and hopefully under the new throughly tested Stark’s Park floodlights a victory would be a special night for fans after a tough start with three points to show from their first six Championship matches:-

“It would give us all a boost if we do that but the fans here have been fantastic. In an interview a fortnight ago and I was asked what I felt was needed for us to come together and I feel that we have come together here. May that continue and hopefully we will be getting the win soon.”

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